The Aniwizard Adventures 1: Animals and Aliens
by SiriuslyPadfoot12
Summary: It's a HPAnimorphs story! HP: Something strange is happening... The students are loosing their magical abilities! Animorphs: The Yeerks have found a new technology suprior to their own... on Earth! Enjoy! COMPLETED!
1. Come, Ronnie! To the Burrow!: Harry

Animals and Aliens

By Meagan (Hyper-HpGrl)

Chapter 1

Come, Ronnie! To the Burrow! (Harry)

            My name is Harry Potter.

            You may know me.  You may not know me.  It depends on who you are.  If you know what Quidditch is, then you know me.  If you don't know what Quidditch is, I feel really bad for you.  For those of you who don't know what Quidditch is, it's a sport.  A sport on broomsticks, that is.  It's a wizarding sport.  _My sport._

            Anyway, I currently attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with my best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.  We learn Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and all that good stuff.  Of course, before you can learn that, you need a wand.  I have a wand.  I learn magic.  You see, it's like Chocolate Frogs to Famous Witches and Wizards Cards.  It's essential!

            You may be thinking I'm out of my mind right now.  Well, I'm not.  Want it to get even weirder?  Thought so.

            The evilest wizard in the wizard world murdered my parents.  Does it get weirder?  Ooooh yeah.  Voldemort, the evil wizard who killed my parents, tried to kill me too.  But it didn't work.  It hit me, gave me a lightning-bolt scar, rebounded, and hit him.  Less than a spirit or ghost, he fled, and brought the house down with him.  So, I'm the most famous in the wizard world.  So are my parents, even though they're dead.

            Where does the famous Harry Potter live, you ask?  I live like a smelly dog at my aunt and uncle's house.  Sounds like fun, doesn't it?  Well, it's not.  My cousin beats me up; my aunt and uncle ignore me, and all that stuff.  What fun.

            My godfather is Sirius Black.  He's a fugitive from Azkaban and is trying to get revenge on the person who betrayed my parents, Wormtail.  He's also an illegal Animagus.  He's not always around, but he scares Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia to death, so they don't do anything to me anymore.

            Well, I guess I should start my story now.  You know all about me.  Know you should know how my life changed forever…

            _Tap!  __Tap!_

            "I'm up, I'm up all ready!" I groaned.  I kicked the covers off and swung my legs out of bed.  I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, yawned, and put my glasses on.  I saw Pig in the window and grinned sleepily.  Ron was replying to my letter.  I dragged myself over to the window and opened it.

            Pig hooted shrilly and fluttered around my room.  I grabbed the fluffy, little tennis ball.  He fluttered madly and hooted proudly.  This was all normality with me.  But, as far as I'm concerned, Pig is the most eager letter deliverer ever.

            I ripped the letter off Pig's leg and read it eagerly.

            _Hey Harry,_

_            How is it going?  I know it is extremely__ pointless to ask you that question because you can't reply.  Anyway, Dad says you can come over for the summer.  We'll be outside your house on August 31st._

_            Your friend,_

_            Ron_

            I ran out onto the landing and slid down the banister, something I never dare to do.  I jumped off at the end and landed easily on my feet.  Quidditch sure helps when it comes with balance and landing.

            "I'm going to Ron's today!" I told Uncle Vernon.  His mustache bristled.  I knew he wouldn't stop me, for if my godfather just _happened to know I was being mistreated…_

            "Fine." He said.  That was all I needed.  I ran up the stairs and started to throw my things into my trunk.  I checked every nook and cranny of the room for something I forgot.  Before I knew it, all my things were packed and Hedwig was in her cage on top of my trunk.  I grinned.

            _Ding-dong!_

            The doorbell!  I ran down the stairs, dragging my trunk behind me.  Hedwig gave an indignant squawk.  I pulled the door open and Ron was standing there, leaning against the doorframe.  "Are you coming or what?" he asked, grinning broadly.  He helped me with my trunk into the car.  "Bye!" I shouted into the house.  Without waiting for a reply, I slammed the door shut and scrambled into the car.  _Finally, I thought, __I'm with my own kind!_


	2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers 2: Jake

Chapter 2

Invasion of the Body Snatchers 2 (Jake)

            My name is Jake.

            I can't tell you my last name.  I can't tell you where I live either.  It's too risky.  _They might find us._

            Who are they?  The Yeerks, of course.  The Yeerks are slug-like aliens that crawl into your ear and travel to your brain.  They flatten themselves out and take over your body.  Total control.  All you are at that point is a voice in your head.  You can feel the Yeerk moving you body.  It can watch your thoughts like they were videos.  They have you, and you can't do anything about it.

            Believe me, I know.  I've had a Yeerk in my head before.  Do you think maybe I belong in a straitjacket? Maybe I do.  Maybe all the stuff happening to me was a dream.

            I wish it was.

            Well, I had assembled a meeting at Cassie's house, a.k.a. the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.  Her mom and dad are vets.  Her mother works at the Gardens, a zoo/amusement park.  Cassie is my… well, I don't really like to say it, but Cassie is my girlfriend.  The others know… and I hate it.

            My eyes traveled across the barn.  Cassie was tending to a baby raccoon that had lost its mother.  She smiled at me and I smiled back.  "Loooove is in the aaaaaair!" sang Marco, my best friend.  He is the joker of the Animorphs, our group name.  He is the one who actually suggested calling us the Animorphs.  He lost his mom to the Yeerks.  His mom also happens to be Visser One.

            I gave Marco a playful punch on the shoulder.  "I wouldn't make fun of me, if I were you.  You're the one who looks at Rachel with goo-goo eyes."  He grinned widely.  "If only she was your regular mall-rat," he sighed.

            "Well, I'm not." Said a grumpy voice.  I looked up and saw Rachel, my cousin, standing in the door of the barn.  Her long blonde hair fell about her shoulders and shimmered.  Her blue eyes were currently narrowed in suspicion.  She very supermodel-like but don't get the wrong idea about her.  She's smart and can be vicious when she wants too.

            "Ahhh!" Marco said, giving a huge, fake scream of horror and hiding behind me.  "Well, I can tell you one thing, Marco, I think you must've kept the cockroach brain last time we morphed it." Rachel said.  Marco jabbed a fake sharp-something into his stomach.  "And _Xena: Warrior Princess stabs me once again from another verbal combat." He said, stumbling and falling onto a bale of hay.  I pushed his leg with my foot.  He shot up and said, "Anyway, if I did have a cockroach brain still, I'd be a __nothlit."_

            Did someone say _nothlit? came a thought-speak.  I looked up and smiled, seeing Tobias in the rafters.  He stared down at me with his intense eyes.  Not that it was anything personal, but hawk's eyes are always intense.  Yes, you read it right, hawk.  A __nothlit is a person-or Andalite-who overstayed the two-hour morphing limit.  A person stuck in morph.  Well, Tobias isn't exactly stuck.  The Ellimist, an alien who is all-powerful to us, gave him back the power to morph.  But his true form his hawk.  Between you and me, I think he likes it better that way._

            "Yeah!  Rachel says I'm a _nothlit!" Marco said, stomping his foot in mock anger.  Oh?  You look like Marco to me. Tobias said, cocking his head.  "She says I've got a cockroach brain!" Marco said, stomping his foot again.  Oh!  Now that has __got to be true.  Oh, wait.  You were always as stupid as a cockroach. Tobias said and laughed.  Marco gave them a look of disgust._

            "I am here, Prince Jake." Said a new voice.  I groaned.  "Ax?" I asked.  The boy who had just entered looked at me.  "Yes, Prince Jake?" he asked.  "Don't call me prince." I said.  "Yes, Prince Jake." Said the Andalite.  If you've ever seen an Andalite, you'll know how weird they look… to us.  They are a cross between a deer, a human, and a scorpion.  Their torso is human and their body is deer-like.  They have a long tail that has a sharp blade on the end.  Their faces are hard to explain.  They have no mouths, to say the least bit.  They have four eyes, two main eyes and two stalk eyes.  Stalk eyes can look in any direction possible.  Their main eyes are on their face and they have a nose.  His real name is Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill.  I hope that made sense.

            "Erek said he was coming." I said.  Erek King is an android.  He was created by a race called the Pemalites.  The Pemalites were a pacifist species.  They programmed the Chee, their androids, to be nonviolent.  The Pemalites were then wiped out by another species called Howlers.  The Chee took the remainders of the Pemalites to Earth when humans had thought the wheel was a cool new invention.  The Chee then put the remainders of the Pemalites into wolves.  Thus forth creating dogs.  I have a dog.

            As soon as the words left my mouth, a kid walked into the barn.  "Hey, Erek." I said.  "Hey, Jake," said Erek, "Important news.  The Yeerks have found a technology superior to theirs… here on Earth."  I studied the hologram of Erek closely.  "Andalites?" I asked.  "No," said Erek, making his hologram shake its head, "Humans."

            "I have both good and bad news now," he said, making his hologram bite its lip.  "Yeah?" I asked.  "Bad news: the Yeerks are heading over to infest some of those humans.  Good news: You get to go to England."

            "YOU CALL THAT GOOD NEWS!?" exploded Marco.  "We have to go to London!" Erek looked at him.  "Not necessarily London.  Plus, England is a nice place." He said.  "I'll get some of my people to cover up for you."

            "Well, I say we use dolphin morphs." Cassie said.  "True," I said nodding, "I think we should go right away."  Marco, who had been babbling about Brits, yelled, "ARE YOU INSANE?"  Rachel's eyes glittered as she said, "Marco has just dubbed this mission insane.  Let's do it!"


	3. Hoggywarties!: Hermione

Chapter 3

Hoggywarties! (Hermione)

            My name is Hermione Granger.

            I'm one of Harry's best friends.  I'm the top of my class at Hogwarts.  And now I'm going back to Hogwarts!

            "Hey!  Harry!  Ron!" I yelled.  Two heads turned in my direction.  One was red and the other was black.  I grinned as my two best friends came toward me.  "Let's get on the train!" I squealed, quivering with excitement.  "Bye, Ron!" Mrs. Weasley, said kissing Ron on the head.  "Bye, Mum." He said.

            We all clambered onto the train.  I immediately pulled out my wand and practiced a few spells.  I looked up as I saw Ron gaping at me.  He stared at me even though I saw him.  "What?" I asked.  He closed his mouth and shook his head.  "You studied over summer vacation!?" he demanded.  My face relaxed into a grin.  "Sure did." I said.

            A few hours later, the trolley came by.  Harry jumped up, buying almost everything on it.  Grinning, he settled himself down with a box of chocolate frogs and began to examine his Famous Witches and Wizards cards.  The chocolate frogs squirmed in his grip as he ate them.

            "Hey, Harry, do you think there is life on other planets?" Ron asked randomly.  I snorted, my face still buried behind a book.  I put it down.  I had to see this conversation.  "Yeah.  I think you came from Mars." Harry said, snorting.  Ron took a handful of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans and threw it at Harry.  Harry, laughing, took a chocolate frog and stuffed it down Ron's shirt.

            "You two are so immature!" I squealed.  "We're _fifteen!" I reminded them.  I should have kept my big mouth shut.  In reply, I got a cauldron cake in the face from Ron.  He was laughing.  I gasped.  "Oh, you two are going to get it!" I said, reaching deep into a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans and throwing it at him.  "__Now who's immature?" asked Harry, laughing but then snorting as Ron stuffed a Pumpkin Pasty in his mouth._

            Harry deftly rolled out of the way as more Every Flavored Beans came his way.  "Quidditch pays off!" he said, rubbing a chocolate frog in Ron's hair.  "YAAAA-MMMMMPHRG!" Ron said as I put a Pumpkin Pasty in his mouth.

            "Why if it isn't Potter, Weasley, and Granger." Drawled a voice.  I turned around and was face-to-face with none other than Draco Malfoy.  Harry got up and walked to my side.  "What do you want, Malfoy?" he asked coldly.  "To see what the noise was about," Malfoy answered, his eyes narrowing, "But I supposed it was you.  Who else would be acting like kids but Gryffindors?  Especially _you."_

            "Shut up, Malfoy.  It's not like you have ever or _would act mature." I said, my bushy hair falling into my face.  "I expected immaturity from a Weasley." Said Malfoy.  Ron was leaning on the doorway, being very quiet.  He suddenly jerked into movement.  I grabbed the back of his robes… it was a reflex now._

            "Stuff it, Malfoy." Said Harry calmly.  "Five minutes until we reach Hogwarts." Said a voice.  Laughing, Malfoy left the room.  Crabbe and Goyle gave us a pair of angry looks and followed Malfoy.

            Ron, meanwhile, was muttering under his breath.  "I'll leave you two while you get changed," I said, sidling from the compartment and finding an empty one to change in.  I quickly changed into my Gryffindor robes and waited patiently for Harry and Ron's compartment door to slide open.

            It did eventually.  "Took you long enough," I said, seating myself between the Every Flavor Beans and the Pumpkin Pasties.  "Yeah, well, Ron needed some help with his tie." Harry said.  I laughed as I spotted Ron's tie.  It was on quite messily.

            The train started to slow.  Excitement bubbled in my chest.  "We're here!" I said, squirming in my seat.  "Ahhh, Hogwarts at long last!" Ron said, jumping from his seat.  The train gave a jerk as it stop and sent Ron flying into the wall.  I laughed at him.

            The compartment door slid open.  I was the first to leap out.  "Hogwarts!" I breathed.  "Firs' Years!" came a shout.  "Hagrid!" I yelled, waving my arms above my head.  "All righ' Hermione?" Hagrid asked, beaming at me.  "Fine!" I said, running toward the horseless carriages.  "Hermione!  Wait up!" Harry yelled as he dragged Ron with him.  They climbed into it with me.

            The ride was a bumpy one.  Before I knew it, it was over.  I jumped out and ran, dragging both Harry and Ron with me.  "Eager, are you?" Harry panted as he tried to keep pace with me.  "Yeah!" I yelled, as I entered the best wizarding school in England, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.


	4. Now what?: Tobias

Chapter 4

Now what? (Tobias)

            My name is Tobias.

            Apart from being Tobias, I'm also Bird-Boy, Chicken Legs, and the assortment of nicknames Marco calls me.

            Anyway, we were swimming.  A regular, everyday pod of six dolphins swimming.  Yeah.  Right.  Normal explains everything _but us.  After all, we are the Animorphs._

            We had been swimming for hours.  We had been morphing and remorphing for the past sixteen hours, thanks to Ax's internal clock.  I was exhausted, to say the least bit.  Most of my dolphin enthusiasm was drained.

            Land ho! cried Marco suddenly.  That snapped me out of sulking.  Where!? yelled Jake joyously.  Dead ahead, cap'ain! Marco replied with a fake accent.  Sure enough, right in front of me was a large island.  England: The Island Nation.

            We have used one-hundred-ten of your minutes, Prince Jake. said Ax helpfully.  Ax, they're _everyone's minutes.  As long as you're on earth, they're __your minutes. Marco said haughtily.  We have approximately nine of your minutes left. Ax said, venom in his thought-speak._

            Everyone, demorph. Jake said, starting to demorph himself.  The first things to go were my dolphin eyes.  My excellent hawk eyes quickly replaced them.  I started to shrink.  Meanwhile, my beak was formed out of the long, dolphin muzzle.  The dolphin flesh was suddenly one huge tattoo of feathers.  The feathers became 3D and real.  My tail shrunk and my deadly talons grew from the dolphin's underside.  I felt my bones and guts contorting and crunching as they became lighter and smaller.  Not pretty.

            I gave a shriek when I was done.  A pair of human hands reached down and pulled me out of the water.  I looked up into the owner of the hands' face.  Thanks, Cassie. I said.  I flapped my wings and took off.  "No problem, Tobias." Cassie said in reply.

            I watched my friends swim to the shore while I flew strenuously overhead.  There were no thermals over water, so I was forced to flap relentlessly.  Tired, I landed on Jake's shoulder.  He was standing on the beach.  "I think you should morph human, Tobias.  I'm not sure if red-tail hawks are native to this place." Cassie said.  Sure. I said breathlessly.

            I morphed human.  Still not pretty.  "It's _cold!" Marco said, shivering.  "Well, we're in England, idiot.  What did you expect, palm trees and coconuts?" Rachel asked, shivering in her leotard._

            Jake pulled some money out his pocket.  "I think we should buy some clothes." He said, his lips starting to turn blue.  "Capital, my dear Watson!" Marco said brightly.  Gooseflesh rose on my arms and legs.  I rubbed my arms with my hands and nodded.

            We bought some clothes in a nearby shop and left, hearing the cashier muttering about "crazy Yanks".  We changed into our clothes quickly.  Instead of getting American dollars back for change, we got British pounds.  Jake stared at it blankly, but sighed and shoved it in his pocket.

            "Now what?  I mean, we don't know where this place is, do we?" I asked.  This seemed to have just dawned on Jake.  The others looked to him for an answer.  A sigh escaped his still-blue lips.  "All Erek said to me was that it wasn't on a map, and that we need to go to a place called King's Cross Station and take the train off Platform 9 ¾." He said.  My expression brightened.  "I saw a sign for it around here somewhere!" I said. 

            Jake turned to me.  "Where?" he asked.  "A little ways back." I said.  Tobias and I have to demorph in the remaining time of five of your minutes. Ax said in thought-speak, even though he was in human morph.  Why didn't you tell me sooner? I shrieked in thought-speak, running for the nearest bathroom, dragging Ax with me.

            We demorphed and remorphed in there.  We walked out with me yelling at him.  "I could've been _stuck!  __Again!" I said, exasperated.  "I am sorry.  Ree.  Sooooorr.  Reeeee.  Sorry!" Ax said in reply._

            "Not stuck, are you?" Jake asked when we got back.  I shook my head.  "No, but it was a close call." I said.  We walked to King's Cross Station from there.  My feet were starting to get sore.

            "Okay, Platform 9 ¾… don't see it, do you?" Marco said, look around, "9… 10… no 9 ¾.  Maybe Erek was joking."  Jake looked at him sternly.  "It's gotta be here!  We came all this way…" he said.  Jake put his head in his hands and leaned against the barrier… and fell right through.

            I jumped back in shock.  "Jake!" yelled Cassie, startled.  "Whoa!" Marco said edging away.  Rachel poised into a position so she was ready to attack.  Ax rubbed his chin thoughtfully and peered at it.  "Amazing…  Maaaazing.  Uh-May-Zing!" he said, laughing at the sound.

            "I'm all right… You should see this!" said Jake's voice from within the barrier.  Rachel, needing no explanation as to what she should see, strode into the barrier right after Jake.  "I am coming, Prince Jake.  Jay-kuh." Ax said, following Rachel.  I took a deep breath.  "I'm going in too." I said, watching Cassie run into it before me.  "This is INSANE!" Marco said, following me into the barrier.

            I started to retort, but the words died in my throat.  The platform I had entered was beautiful.  Human hands couldn't have created this work of art.  It seemed almost magical.

            "Well, we found Platform 9 ¾." Rachel said, pointing to a large sign.  "There's no train and only God knows when it's coming back!" I said.  "Well, why are we waiting?" Marco said, shutting his mouth after long last, "Morph bird and follow it."  Jake smiled at his best friend.  "Good idea, Marco. You heard him!  Morph bird!" he said.  Grinning, I demorphed.


	5. Double Trouble with Double Potions:Harry

Chapter 5

Double Trouble with Double Potions (Harry)

            My name is Harry Potter.

            I think I've all ready told you that.

            Hogwarts: The most magical boarding school there ever was… and I attend it.  I ran after Hermione into the Entrance Hall and then right into the Great Hall.  Ron marveled at the place.  I did too.  It was wonderful to be back again.  

            We went through everything as usual.  We got five new Gryffindors this year.  Georgia Creevey (Colin Creevey's little sister), Ruby Undine, Griffin Wrench, Harriet Pry, and Forrest Casper were their names.  Of course, the Creeveys were all over me, asking me to sign pictures and whatnot.  I eventually got away, when Dumbledore stood up to do his opening speech.

            "Welcome, welcome, to another great year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft.  I would like to inform the new students, and remind the old, that the Forbidden Forest is strictly out of bounds.  There is a list of an assortment of items our caretaker Mr. Filch would like you to view, since it is a list of forbidden objects.  Those objects include Dungbombs and such.

            "I have only four more words to say.  Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!  Let the feast begin!"  Dumbledore exclaimed, beaming around at the students.

            Holding his knife and fork expectantly, with a napkin tucked in the color of his shirt, Ron sat ready.  Food blossomed from the empty golden plates and the chatter started spontaneously.  I snorted with laughter as Ron dived into the food, tearing the chicken apart with his teeth.  I, myself, took a few chicken wings and some mashed potatoes with corn to the side.  I was quite hungry.  The food fight with the pumpkin pasties and cauldron cakes seemed in the distant past. 

            I looked up to see Ron inhaling the mashed potatoes.  "What a mess," I said through my chicken wing.  I was finishing with the chicken and moved onto the mashed potatoes.  Ron had all ready moved onto seconds.  Hermione was eating politely but it seemed that she was close to loosing self-control.

            When the last of desert finally disappeared from the golden plates, we were all too stuffed and could barely move.  Through some miracle, we managed to get to the Gryffindor Common Room.  When I finally got into bed, I muttered, "'Night, Ron."  What I got for a reply was Ron's snoring.  I smiled against my pillow and drifted off into dreamlands.

            After a few seconds it was day again.  The sun was peering at me through a crack in my bed curtains.  "Harry!  Wake up and smell coffee!" Ron said, grinning and throwing a pillow at me.  I groaned and rolled over, only to fall out of bed.  Seamus grinned, wiping the sleep out of his eyes.  Dean snorted and stretched as he climbed out of bed.  Neville was still snoring.

            I groggily got out of bed and got changed.  Ron and I walked down to the Great Hall together.  Hermione was already there when we got to the Gryffindor table.  She gave us our schedules.  "Double Potions?  Today? This morning? Why us?" Ron asked.  "Why us?" I repeated faintly, "Why us?  Us because my life is miserable.  Us because I'm Harry Potter."  Hermione looked at us over her book at me.  "Don't say that, Harry.  Your life isn't _always miserable." She said and continued to read.  I stared at her for a moment, and then returned to my breakfast._

            There wasn't much conversation after that.  Without saying a word, we got up and got ready for Potions class.  We ran down the corridors, not wanting to be late.  We stopped at the door.  The Slytherins were all smirking for some odd reason.  My nose wrinkling in suspicion, I glanced at them.

            There was something on Snape's desk.  It was full of wiggling slug-like things.  "Probably ingredients for today's potion," Ron said wearily, looking disgusted.  "Not as bad as spiders though," he added as an afterthought, shuddering.  I smiled wryly.  

            Snape made his usual dramatic entrance.  "Welcome to your fifth year of Hogwarts," said Snape in his icy voice.  "I don't expect you have become geniuses over this summer vacation, nor do I think you have become any smarter.  Only a select few have probably increased their knowledge…" he broke off there and gave Malfoy a notable glance.  Malfoy looked smug.  He continued to talk and I sighed miserably.  The first class of the year just _had_ to be Double Potions.

            Today we were making Deflating Draught.  I had no idea why.  Snape scrawled the ingredients across the board.  He picked on Neville and all the Gryffindors.  He complimented _all_ the Slytherins, even though some of them were messing up quite badly.

            Ron was doing horrible today.  He couldn't tell a lacewing from a spider!  He was starting to sweat and kept giving Snape nervous glances.  I leaned over and muttered, "Are you okay?"  He looked at me, his face pale.  "Yeah.  I'm fine." He said in a high-pitched voice.

            We worked in silence for a little while until I felt something hit the back of my neck.  I clapped my hand to the place the thing had hit and swerved around.  Malfoy was sniggering and loading a puffer fish eye onto a spoon and flicking them at us.  Ron's neck was starting to go red.

            The bell rang just in time.  I grabbed my backpack and shouldered it, muttering under my breath.  "Longbottom!  Finnigan!  Stay here!" called Snape.  Neville looked ready to faint and Seamus had a look on his face that said quite clearly, "What did I do?"  Wondering what was going to happen, I hung back to see what's what.  I "accidentally" knocked over the armadillo bile, as I had done last year.

            "Have you ever wanted to be someone else…?" Snape asked.  I peered over the top of my desk to see a maniac grin on Snape's face.  "Uh… not really, no." Seamus said.  "I-I dunno, P-Professor Snape, s-sir!" Neville choked, going through several shades of green.  "Well, you don't have a choice now, do you!?" Professor Snape laughed, taking Seamus and Neville's heads and putting them into the bowl of gray slugs.  I gasped and the hair on the back of my neck prickled.  Seamus and Neville floundered and waved their arms, trying to free themselves.  I scuttled nearer for a closer look.  Bubbles rose as Seamus and Neville yelled in horror.  Suddenly, it all stopped.  The bubbles stopped and they stopped waving their arms.  I sat, transfixed at the sight.

            Snape released them.  "Iniss Five-Five-Three.  Iniss Five-Five-Four." He said, nodding.  "Yes, Sub-Visser thirty seven?"  Seamus asked.  What's a Sub-Visser? I wondered.  "You are to try to lure Harry Potter here.  He is very important to our invasion.  He has influenced the minds of many of these people.  Fascinating technology, they have." Snape said.  Neville and Seamus nodded.  They left the room.  I followed them.

            I had to tell Ron and Hermione!

~*~

            I ran into the dormitory, panting.  I saw Hermione sitting in the common room, looking scared and shaken.  I staggered over to her and sat down in a chair opposite her.  "Hermione, what's the matter?" I asked.  "Harry, it's Ron.  He's caught a disease.  He can't use magic!  Seamus and Neville have it too!" Hermione said, her voice high and squeaky.  "Oh god," I said.  "I think I know what it is."


	6. That’s letting the Cat out of the Bag:Ma

Chapter 6

That's letting the Cat out of the Bag (Marco)

            My name is Marco.

            I am the joker of the Animorphs.

            Enough said.

            I was now an osprey and I was following a train track with my buds.  Ax was wondering what a train was and asking technical questions about them that none of us could answer.  Well, Tobias could answer some of them.

            Look!  Up ahead!  There's a building up there!  Wait… not a building, a castle! Tobias yelled suddenly.  I followed his gaze and saw the building.  Oh, wow… oh wow, Cassie said, sounding awestruck.  I saw what she meant.  For Pete's sake, not even the Queen of England lives in a castle this big! I shouted.  Who is this Pete and what is so important about his sake? Ax inquired.  No one answered him.  We usually choose to ignore these questions.

            Hork-Bajir! Rachel said suddenly.  Where? demanded Jake.  There. I said, watching the walking Salad Shooters from hell walking across the lush grass.  The mutant worms called Taxxons were there too.  Both alien races kept themselves hidden from sight.

            Everyone demorph.  Then use your battle morphs. Jake said, landing in a nearby tree and demorphing.  I perched beside him and concentrated.  The first things to go were my superior osprey eyes.  Then all my feathers got sucked up into my skin, making me look like a plucked chicken.  Wrong! Rachel said, looking at me.  You don't look so good yourself. I retorted as my hard and cruel beak softened and became lips.  Suddenly I grew until I was a giant mutant Turkeyzilla.  My legs grew long and my three talons separated into five toes.  Fingers grew out of my wings and my wings became longer, forming arms.  Hair grew out of my scalp and I was a human wearing spandex, sitting in a tree.

            I jumped out of the tree and began my battle morph.  I sprouted another two feet and my skin became gray and leathery.  Hair sprouted on my arms and legs and my nose jutted out.  I suddenly had buldging muscles.  My fingers became thick and strong.  My toes became the same way.  I was no longer Marco the boy, but Marco the Mighty Morphing Gorilla.   Aliens beware!

            I glanced at Jake the tiger and Rachel the grizzly bear.  Tobias was himself and so was Ax.  Cassie was a wolf and her tongue was lolling out.  Let's go kick some alien butt! No offense, Ax. Rachel said.  One of Ax's stalk eyes swiveled around to look at her.  None taken. he said.

            We moved out and down upon the Hork-Bajir.  The Taxxons screeched.  Shut up, you overgrown mutant worms! Rachel said, roaring and swiping at them with one gigantic grizzly bear paw.  The two Taxxons died instantly.  The Hork-Bajir were another story.  They had blades all down their arms and legs.  Amazingly, they were for climbing and eating bark, not combat.  However, the Yeerks say different.  They use the Hork-Bajir as walking weapons.

            Jake lunged at the one of the Hork-Bajir's long, snake-like neck.  It opened its bird-like beak and screamed.  Jake took it to the ground and ripped its throat open.  I was helping Cassie with one particularly smart Hork-Bajir-Controller.  It dived and slashed me with its wrist blade.  I roared in pain and saw deep red blood seeping from the wound.  Oooh, you're going to be sorry for that one! I said, balling my fist and taking a swing.  It knocked the Hork-Bajir-Controller to the ground.  I saw something gray slither out of its ear.  I picked the Yeerk up in my fingers and squished it.

            Cassie howled.  Her shoulders sagged and she hit the dirt as the last Hork-Bajir-Controller stabbed her in the back.  Tobias took action and dived, giving a loud screech.  His sharp talons hit the Hork-Bajir in the eye and it fell back, clutching its face.  

FWAP!  FWAP!  Ax's tail blade was slicing the Hork-Bajir into Swiss cheese!  It fell to the ground, dead.  

Demorph, Cassie!  You'll die! Jake screamed.  Cassie's eyes were closed from the pain.  Her paws were bloody.  I knuckle-walked over and shook her.  She gave a small moan.  DEMORPH! Rachel shrieked.  Cassie's eyes squeezed shut.  Her ears were slowly crawling down the side of her face.  The fur was disappearing gradually.  Come on, Cassie!  Concentrate!  _Concentrate_! I said, feeling agitated.  Her tail slowly retreated into her back.  The bloody hole in her back mended itself.  Her muzzle was suddenly sucked into her face.  She gritted her wolf teeth.  They slowly changed back to human teeth.  Black hair grew out of her scalp.  She was, in every way, demorphed.  She opened her eyes and looked at us.  They were still wolf.  It looked creepy.  They slowly changed from amber to brown and the pupil became round.

When she was finished, she still lay in the dirt.  We all quickly demorphed and checked to see if she was okay.  You see, morphing heals all wounds and sicknesses.  She was perfectly okay, although she was mentally shaken.  She was also shaking visibly.  Jake hugged her and held her until she stopped.

Then we realized more had just entered the building.  "Battle morphs, again!" Jake cried, though he was exhausted.  "No, please, not now." Cassie said, tears pouring down her face.  Jake hugged her again.  "I'm sorry, Cassie.  We have to.  Innocent lives are at stake." He said, rubbing her back.  "Okay.  I'll do it for those people." She said, starting to morph again.  We all did.

Amazingly, no one saw us as we tailed the Hork-Bajir through the castle.  They entered a room, their snake-like necks twisting around.  "There's one!" said one of them.  "Yes.  I see." The other said.  No you don't! Jake said, lunging.  Yee-haw! Rachel yelled, bowling into one of them.  The two Hork-Bajir were dead in an instant.

We demorphed in the room.  Cassie slid down the wall, looking sick.  Jake hurried over to help her.  We were all exhausted.  Ax morphed human and so did Tobias.  Rachel still stood, panting and grinning like the maniac she was.

"Those are the _slowest Animagi transformations I have __ever seen." Said a voice.  Suddenly, a boy appeared from nowhere, pulling a cloak off himself.  He had wild jet-black hair and bright green eyes that were behind glasses.  He had a pink lightning-bolt scar above his right eyebrow._

"Guess what?" I said, holding my arms out wide.  The boy looked at me blankly.  "Evil parasitic alien slugs are taking over the world!"  I grinned widely.  "Well," Rachel said, "That's letting the cat out of the bag."


	7. Yeerks are Jerks!: Harry

Chapter 7

Yeerks are Jerks! (Harry)

My name is Harry Potter.

I was now faced with six kids who were Animagi of dangerous animals.

I stared at the six kids.  "Who are you?" I asked, slowly drawing my wand out.  "First, who are you?  How do we know we can trust you?" a tall boy with brown hair and eyes said, standing up.  "I'm Harry Potter.  How do you know you can trust me?  I've been fighting against Voldemort for four years." I said, pointing my wand at them.  They stared at it.

"My name is Jake.  This is Marco, Rachel, Tobias, and Cassie.  This is Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill.  We call him Ax for short.  We don't know who this Voldemort is." Jake said cautiously.  His eyes darted around the room.

"Okay.  You tell me your story, I'll tell you mine and I won't blow you to smithereens.  Deal?" I asked, extending my hand.  Jake took it and shook it roughly.  I looked around at his friends.  The one called Ax I could throw off with a good Jelly-Legs Curse.  Then, Jake started to explain.

When Jake was done explaining, I explained.  Marco was in hysterics.  "Wizards?" he laughed, "WIZARDS!?"  I looked at him coolly.  "I can prove I'm a wizard." I said.  "Yeah, then turn me into a frog!" he said.  "We haven't learned human Transfiguration yet… but I have a good spell."  I pointed my wand at him.  "_Expelliarmus!" I yelled.  Marco flew backwards and into the wall.  "Ow!" he cried, sliding down the wall._

"Now prove to me that this… Aximili is a space alien." I said, lowering my wand.  "Should I, Prince Jake?  Jay-kuh.  Kuh.  Jake." Ax asked.  "Go ahead.  And Ax?  I'm not a prince.  Don't call me Prince Jake." Jake said.  "Yes, Prince Jake." Ax said.  I snorted.

I watched Ax.  He was starting to turn blue.  Suddenly, two stalk eyes sprouted out of the top of his head.  I stumbled back into the wall.  His legs split in two and stretched.  A deadly looking tail sprouted out of his backbone.  A blade on the end of his tail was like a scythe.  The clothes he was wearing got sucked up into his skin.  His hands sprouted two extra fingers.  His mouth disappeared completely and his regular eyes got huge.

Do you believe us, Harry Potter? Ax asked.  I heard it in my head.  "That," I said shakily, "Is the weirdest looking centaur I have ever seen."  Cassie looked over at me, shocked.  "Centaur?  You've seen a centaur?" she asked incredulously.  "Yeah.  I've seen three.  I'll take you to meet them sometime.  Only, don't ask them many questions.  They're star-gazers." I said, remembering my detention from my first year.  "Ax isn't a centaur.  He's an alien race called the Andalites." Tobias said.  I nodded.

Suddenly, there was a clamor from outside.  "Oh no!" I gasped.  "A teacher!  Or, even worse, Filch and Mrs. Norris!  My invisibility cloak isn't big enough to hide all of you!  Um… the slowest… er… _morphers can hide under the cloak with me."  Tobias came running and I threw the cloak over us.  "I'm not in my true form," he explained, "I'm a red-tailed hawk.  I don't have time to morph back and then morph small."_

Jake, Rachel, Marco, Cassie, and Ax had all morphed fly.  The last blue hair had disappeared off Ax's fly body when Mrs. Norris came around the corner.  I held my breath.  She looked around the room.  Her large, lamp-like eyes looked right through me.  "What is it, my sweet?" asked a hoarse voice.  I watched Filch enter the room.  He lifted a lamp up and scanned the room.  "C'mon, there's nothing in here." He said.  Seeing nothing but a bunch of flies, they left.

I breathed again.  I looked at Tobias.  "I think I know where you can sleep tonight.  I hope you don't mind snakes." I said.  I hate snakes! yelled Marco.  "Well, it's the only place I can think of.  The Weasley twins know all the passageways.  The only one they don't know… well, c'mon."

I tiptoed down the corridor, looking left to right to see if anyone was near.  Suddenly, a vase whizzed past my ear.  I whirled around.  Peeves the Poltergeist was hovering in my face.  Tobias made a weird noise.  

"Why, it's Mr. Pot-head!" cackled Peeves.  I narrowed my eyes.  "Do you want anything in particular, Peeves?" I asked cautiously.  "Maybe, maybe not," he answered in a singsong voice.  I searched desperately for an answer to this.  Then it dawned on me.  "Peeves, if you don't move now, I'm going to the Bloody Barron with you!" I said threateningly.  Peeves eyed me suspiciously and zoomed away.  I sighed.

"Bloody Barron?" asked Tobias as I led the way.  The flies that were the Animorphs were on his shoulder.  "He's the only person Peeves with listen to," I explained.  I turned the corner and looked at the door I was facing.  I ignored the "Out of Order" sign and walked in.  Tobias had stopped.  "This is a girls' bathroom!" he said.  "It's also Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.  No one comes in here." I said.

I watched as Myrtle glided sullenly through the stall door.  Tobias jumped back.  "Hello, Myrtle." I said.  "What do _you want?" Myrtle asked, sulking.  "I was just going to…"  I jerked my head to the sink.  "Ooooh!  You're going down there __again?  I thought it was dead." She said excitedly.  I shuddered.  "It is.  Well, it was good talking to you, Myrtle.  Bye." I said, and turned to the sink.  "Visit me sometime, will you?" Myrtle asked.  "Uh… sure.  Okay." I said._

"_Open." I said in Parsletounge.  Tobias looked at me, startled.  The sink glowed and revealed the passageway to the Chamber of Secrets.  "Uh… er… you can go first." He said, glancing nervously at the pipe.  "Okay," I said, jumping down.  It was a terrific ride.  I landed at the bottom with a thump.  "Okay!  You can come down!" I called to Tobias.  He screamed as he fell.  He ran into my legs and I fell._

"It's dark down here." He squeaked.  I pulled out my wand and muttered, "_Lumos."  The tip of my wand lit up and I looked around.  The part of the roof that had fallen in was still there.  Tobias and I barely fit as we went through it.  Tobias gave a yell and jumped back when he saw the Basilisk skin._

"Hey, kid, calm down!  It's just the skin!  _Just the skin!" I yelled.  I dragged him through the remaining Chamber.  "OH MY GOD!" he screeched when he saw the dead snake.  "It's dead!  I killed it three years ago!  See?  There's a hole through his head!" I said, trying to calm him down.  The others demorphed.  They acted the same way Tobias had.  I sighed and told them about when I killed it with just a sword.  They stared at me.  Rachel looked awestruck._

"I know it isn't perfect, but it'll have to do. No one will bother you, unless a ghost accidentally comes down. I have to go back to my dormitory.  Ron is going to be wondering where I am.  He'll get suspicious." I said, shuddering.  I knew he was a Controller.  Cassie knew what I was thinking.  "He's a Controller, isn't he?" she asked softly.  I nodded, taking a deep breath.  "You've lost everyone.  Now you're loosing your friends." She whispered.  I felt the corners of my eyes prickling.  I turned away.  "I got to go," I said, leaving quickly.  I felt them watching the back of my neck.

"Don't worry, Harry!" Marco called, "Yeerks are jerks!  They'll pay!"  I ran faster so I wouldn't cry.


	8. I Hate Snakes!: Rachel

Chapter 8

I Hate Snakes! (Rachel)

My name is Rachel.

I am the ruthless warrior of the Animorphs, most people say.  I'm not all totally a warrior though.

I admire Harry.  He is truly a brave person to have fought a snake that could kill you by looking at it.  He lost his wand and he shoved a sword up the snake's mouth.  He almost died.  Worst of all, he has lost both his parents.  Now he is loosing all of his friends.

Tobias and Ax were in their regular forms now.  I watched as Ax pressed hand against the Basilisk's hide.  "Ax, what are you doing?" Jake asked.  I am seeing if I am able to acquire its DNA, Prince Jake. Ax replied, his main eyes on Jake's.  His stalk eyes were still looking at the giant snake.  Jake looked interested.  "Can you?" he asked, cocking his head.  I am finding out now, Prince Jake.  Yes.  I have acquired it.

I looked to Jake.  He nodded to me.  I strode over to the dead and decaying Basilisk and pressed my hand on its scales.  I felt it become part of me.  "Should I try it?" I asked, my eyes wondering over the scene.  Jake nodded again.  "Keep your eyes closed, Rachel.  You could kill us off." He said.

The first thing that changed was my teeth. Long, deadly fangs grew. Then, without warning, I sprouted. I got so high I cracked my head on the ceiling. "_Owww_…" I moaned, my voice causing the chamber to reverberate. I went to touch my head but my arms and legs were now part of my body. I fell. The ground shook. My head elongated. My insides squelched disgustingly as they, too, stretched. All bones but my spine, ribcage, and skull disappeared. My hair was sucked into my scalp with a disgusting SCHLOOP! My skin became dry, turned green, and seemed to crack. My tongue became forked. My eyes transformed suddenly. They grew and became yellow. 

Then, something happened I wasn't expecting. A feeling welled up in my chest. It made my whole body tingle. I searched my mind what it was. It was something I'd never felt before. Then, it dawned on me.

I was _magic_.

That's when the instincts hit. The Basilisk was totally unafraid. It ruled the magical animal kingdom. Nothing could dare compete with it! It knew with satisfaction that it could kill by looking… and it was _hungry. The predator in it was telling me what to do: Tear. Rip. Kill._

I smelt something. My slit-like nostrils widened. _Humans! I knew that smell! They were prey. I opened my eyes. I could __see though things. Rachel! Stop! Close your eyes! Tobias squawked, panicking. These words meant nothing to the Basilisk._

I heard footsteps and glanced over to see what it was. It was that boy… Harry was his name. He kept his eyes shut. I couldn't see through him, though. He was complete and solid. There was something different about him. His scar seemed to radiate bright green light. He raised his hands. 

"_Stop_." Harry said. It wasn't in his strange, unfamiliar tongue. It was in a different language. It was in _my language. Something in me was compelled to do as he said. I stopped. "__Close your eyes." He said. That was easy. I could do that. I closed my eyes._

"_Remember_." He said. This confused me. I felt him touch me. I shuddered under the touch. I could feel his magic pulsing through his skin. He was much more powerful than any wizard, the Basilisk mind told me, he was a Parselmouth. He was Harry Potter.

"_Rachel, remember_." He said. The magic flowed into me. Then, I remembered. I was Rachel. I was an Animorph. I was a fifteen-year-old girl part of a guerilla war troop that stopped parasitic aliens from taking over the world. I was Rachel the Animorph!

Aaaahhhh! I yelled, slithering away from his touch, Aaaahhhh!  I had completely lost myself in the morph! I had almost _eaten my friends_!

Rachel! Rachel, it's okay! It's Tobias! Listen to me, morph out! _Morph out! Tobias said. He sounded scared. _

I demorphed quicker than thought possible. When I returned to human form, I was shaking like a leaf. The Basilisk's mind had been so… so… _powerful. _

"It's okay, Rachel. It's over now. It's okay," said Tobias. He had morphed human. He hugged me and stroked my hair. I felt the shaking stop. I breathed easily and closed my eyes. He let go, stood, and pulled me to my feet.

Harry smiled crookedly. "Don't let it happen again. The next time I hear a snake say '_Tear, rip, kill_' I'll curse you." He turned and started to walk away. "Thanks," I whispered. I don't think he heard. He kept walking. He might have, however. I saw him shudder.

He was a strange one, Harry Potter.

A/N: Did you enjoy? Not my best chapter, I can tell you that. They still have a lot to find out about Harry… And Harry about the Animorphs. Well, stick around for my next chapter, "Chapter 9-Follow the Leader (Hermione)"!


	9. Follow the Leader!: Hermione

Chapter 9

Follow the Leader (Hermione)

My name is Hermione Granger.

Harry acted strange all day Tuesday. He jerked every time he saw an animal. He wouldn't let Crookshanks, my cat, near him. He shied away from insects of all kinds. Every time Ron came near him or touched him, he shuddered. 

Ron was acting strange too. He didn't notice Harry's behavior. When he was standing, he was always leaning against something. He didn't laugh at the stupid things Harry said in a bantering tone. He didn't mind the way Harry shivered when he touched him. He seemed _pleased that Harry seemed to fear him._

We walked down the corridor in silence. A boy came toward us. He was wearing… I stared. He was wearing bike shorts and a spandex top. Ron shot the kid a funny look. "I have to go to the bathroom," he said, and hurried off down the corridor and out of sight.

"Meet us tonight," the kid said and then disappeared in the crowd. 

I stared after him. "Who was that?" I asked. Harry shrugged. "His name is Jake. I met him last night. He's a… er… uh… Ravenclaw sixth year." He lied. I could tell he was lying. It doesn't take someone that long to tell what House and year a person is in.

I bit my lip and sucked on my teeth. I knew what I was going to do, but I didn't like it. I furrowed my brow and told myself that it was for Harry's good, not to satisfy my curiosity.

That night, I snuck up into the boy's dormitory and snitched Harry's invisibility cloak. I hid myself under it and stayed there for hours. Eventually, all the boys went to bed. Slowly, they all fell into a sleep while Harry waited restlessly. I heard him shifting under his blankets.

At about eleven (for it was a school night and mostly everyone was asleep by now), Harry quietly opened his bed curtains and slid out of bed. He crept to his trunk in the moonlight, eyeglasses glinting. He rifled through his trunk and swore softly to himself when he couldn't find it.

Still, he got up and went out the door. He didn't bother to shut it behind him, much to my relief. I followed him down the stairs and almost had myself squashed when the portrait hole shut.

I trailed him down corridors, stairs, and secret passageways. I don't know how he managed _not _to run into Mrs. Norris and Filch. He stopped at the one place I knew very well: Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom.

He walked in and I followed him. He stopped in front of the sink. You know, the one that led to the Chamber of Secrets. I watched, transfixed, as he hissed something in Parsletounge. The sink glowed and opened into a huge pipe. He looked around, took a deep breath, and jumped.

I stood in horror and amazement for about two seconds. I gritted my teeth and looked down the pipe. I closed my eyes and squeaked as I jumped and hit solid pipe.

It took all I had not to yell as I zoomed down the pipe. I stood as soon as the pipe leveled out and looked about me with wide eyes. I had never been into the Chamber of Secrets before. I had heard Ron and Harry tell about it, but had never actually _seen _it.

I tailed him closely, giddy with shock and fear. _Follow the leader,I thought. We stopped in one big room. There was a _huge_ statue of Salazar Slytherin at one wall._

"Took you a long enough," said a sarcastic voice. I barely stifled a gasp and turned. There were _people _down here? I stared at the person who had spoken. He was just a kid. He was short and Hispanic looking.

"Sorry," Harry said. "I couldn't find my invisibility cloak."

The boy we'd seen earlier, Jake, came into view, followed by two other people. A hawk was resting on the shoulder of tall, blond, blue-eyed girl that had followed Jake. Then I saw… I don't know what it was. It looked so strange! It seemed like a blue centaur with an extra pair of eyes.

I couldn't stifle my gasp this time. 

Harry whirled, wand already drawn. With a shriek that made me jump, the hawk took off. Before I could dodge, it took the invisibility cloak in its talons and flew away with it.

"_Hermione_?" Harry asked, eyes going very round.

The kid who had first spoken burst into hysterical laughter. The blond girl hit him. "Shut up, Marco!" she said, glaring. Marco wiped tears of mirth from his eyes. "Yes, O Tall One!" he said with a mock bow. As they spoke, I realized they were American.

I didn't see what was so funny about the situation. I think he may have been laughing at my name.

"Hermione, how could you?" asked Harry, looking hurt. But he also looked angry. Scarlet and gold sparks flew from the tip of his wand.

Is she a Yeerk? asked… I rubbed my eyes. The bird had just spoken… _in my head_!

"I don't know. Rachel. Cassie. Move behind her." Jake said. The two girls complied and moved behind me.

"What's going on?" I asked. My voice quivered as I spoke.

"Hermione, I… well, they… er…" Harry spluttered. He bit his lip and put his wand back in his pocket with a sigh.

Is she a Yeerk? the hawk repeated. 

Harry blinked slowly. Suddenly, he twitched. He clapped a hand to his forehead and gave a yell of pain. He fell to his knees and stayed like that for a long time. No one moved until he got up again.

"Sorry," he said, still rubbing his scar. He chewed on the inside of his lip for a moment, then said, "I don't think she's a Yeerk. She's been studying and practicing magic all day."

"Of course I have!" I burst out indignantly. "How could I ever get good grades if I didn't practice!?"

"Hermione, you think a B+ is a bad grade," said Harry with a roll of his eyes.

Finally, one of the Americans spoke up. "What just happened?" Rachel demanded, "With the whole falling to your knees thing?"

"I didn't mean to. The pain in my scar took me by surprise. You see, whenever Voldemort is near, my scar hurts. Sorry." Harry replied. "Harry! Don't say You-Know-Who's name!" I gasped. He only shook his head soundlessly. 

"How do we know she's not a Yeerk?" asked Rachel. Harry chewed on the inside of his lip for a moment. "One way to find out…" he muttered. He turned to me. "Hermione, I challenge you to a duel."

No one spoke for a full two minutes.

"But—but—I don't want to hurt you!" I squealed finally. Harry raised an eyebrow. I sighed and frowned. "Fine. Fine. I accept your challenge."

"Uh… I think everyone should move back a little. You don't want to get hit with a stray spell. It will have _nasty _consequences." Harry said. The six Americans backed away.

Harry moved in front of me. He raised his wand in front of his face and bowed. I followed suit. We never broke eye contact. "No Unforgivable Curses. The first one stunned loses." He said. I nodded.

He whirled as he straightened. "_Expelliarmus!" he cried. I quickly said the shield spell, and it ricocheted off to the side. I flourished my wand. "_Impedimenta_!" I yelled. A jet of yellow light burst from the end of my wand. He shrieked the shield spell. The shield absorbed my spell and knocked him off his feet._

The shield faltered and fell away. I said the Jelly-Legs Jinx, but Harry rolled nimbly aside with his Quidditch reflexes. He jumped to his feet and yelled the Jelly-Legs Jinx right back, as I too yelled it again.

The two spells hit in midair, and rocketed to the side. I heard Marco give a cry of alarm as my jinx hit him. I gasped. "Sorry!" I cried. Harry took the opportunity to stun me. "_Stupefy_!" he shouted. 

I cringed as I heard the word escape his lips. The spell hit me. I felt like I got hit over the head with a frying pan. I staggered and fell. The world spun. I saw Harry run over to me. My jaw trembled as I tried to speak, but then I lost consciousness. 

**A/N: Hey people! ****J Sorry this chapter took so long! I've been working on one of my original stories, and I'm proud to say it's forty-one pages long! I'm telling you, this is _definitely _not my best, but enjoy anyway! Stay tuned for Chapter 10: Who's House? (Cassie)!!**


	10. Who's House?: Cassie

Chapter 10

Who's House? (Cassie)

My name is Cassie.

I ran forward as I saw the girl, Hermione, collapse. Harry ran forward too. I ignored Marco, who was yelling words that I shouldn't repeat.

"What did you do to her?" I asked. Harry shook his head. "I stunned her. I'll wake her up. She's not a Yeerk. She wouldn't have been able to do magic otherwise." He reassured me. He pointed his wand at her. "_Ennervate."_

Hermione's body shook. Her eyelids fluttered, then she blinked. "You're getting good," she told him matter-of-factly. "Last time we dueled, I always won." He grinned. "That was before I dueled Voldemort. He plays nasty. He uses the Unforgivable Curses." He said.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Harry got up and pulled her to her feet. She squinted around the Chamber, then saw Marco. "Oh!" she said. She pointed at him and waved her wand.

Marco collapsed. "Ow…" he moaned. "What _was that?"_

Hermione rubbed her head, wincing, and said, "Jelly-Legs Jinx. I didn't mean for it to hit him. It doesn't have any permanent effects, though, so don't worry. Neither does being stunned. Believe me, Ron and I had it worse last year."

I sat back with a sigh of relief. She looked fine. She needed no medical attention.

As soon as she returned to normal, we Animorphs told everything. Hermione listened, eyebrows raised out of disbelief. "Yeah, right," she snorted when we finished.

Jake turned to me. "Cassie?" he asked. I shrugged, held my breath, and started to morph osprey.

The others think I'm the best morpher. I don't know about that, but I know that morphing will _always creep me out, no matter how many times I do it._

A black and white feather pattern rippled down my skin. It looked a little like a tattoo. Within seconds, the feathers became 3D with small popping noises.

Then, suddenly, SHOOM! The ground rushed up at me! It seemed like I was falling, but my feet were always on the ground. I knew I was shrinking and I was expecting it, though, so it didn't freak me out as much as it had the first time.

My bones crunched as they hollowed out and moved around. My insides sloshed around with disgusting sloshing noises.

SHLOOP! My hair was sucked into my scalp.

SPROOT! My lips and nose sprouted into the cruel hooked beak of a raptor.

I finished my morph in seconds. I ruffled my feathers a little. With a sharp cry, I flapped my wings and took off. I had to flap constantly because we were inside (which was strange) and there were no thermals.

Hermione watched me in awe. Her eyes were round and her mouth was open. "_Animagus_," she whispered.

Harry shook his head. "No, not Animagus. They're Animorphs. They morph. Didn't you see how slow it was? It's not at all like that when Sirius transforms!"

I landed in demorphed. The thrill of flight still rang in my bones.

"What House are they in?" asked Hermione.

"Um… they aren't in any. I don't think we can just waltz up to Professor Dumbledore's office and ask to use the Sorting Hat. Well, maybe if we _borrow_ it for a little while…" Harry said, leaving off.

She gasped. "_Harry_! You want to steal from… _Dumbledore!?"_

"No! No! We'd put it back. And I don't think the Hat would mind either."

"Well…" she faltered, looking conflicted, "Okay. But we put it _right back."_

"Yes."

"Who's house?" asked Marco.

Hermione laughed. "Not _who's_ House. _Which House. The school is divided up into four Houses, depending on your characteristics: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Harry and I are in Gryffindor."_

Harry and Hermione left to grab the Sorting Hat. Whatever that was.

The rest of us Animorphs waited in silence.

"So," said Marco finally, rocking back and forth on his feet, "What's a Sorting Hat?"

I shrugged. "It must put us in these Houses some way."

What is a hat? asked Ax.

"A hat is a type of clothing… you wear it on your head." I explained.

Aaah. He said as if he understood.

There was another awkward silence.

Apprehensively, Jake broke the silence. "Should we make them into Animorphs?"

I blinked in surprise. Questions like this don't come up randomly. 

I glanced around at the others. Tobias was expressionless, as a hawk usually is. Marco's face was convulsing as he thought. I knew he was remembering David, the Animorph we made that… well, went bad. Rachel was chewing her lip thoughtfully. Ax swatted a fly with his tail blade, no trace of emotion on his face. Jake was carefully twiddling his thumbs and staring at the large statue on the wall.

"Not yet," I blurted.

Everyone turned to me in surprise. The time we were deciding to make David an Animorph, I was all gung-ho about it.  Let's just say I didn't want a repeat.

"We should wait a while," I said reasonably, "How long have we known Harry? A day? We haven't known Hermione for even five minutes! Harry seems like a great person, but what was the whole thing with Hermione stealing Harry's cloak?"

Jake smiled, relieved. "Yeah," he agreed, "Maybe we should wait a little more. We can watch them for a week or two. If there are any attempts at infesting them, any at all, we'll stop the Yeerks. Period. They've seen us. They know us. We don't want our secret spilled to the whole place, wherever this is."

Everyone murmured his or her consent.

Then Harry and Hermione returned. Harry carried the dirtiest and rattiest hat I've ever seen in my life in his hand. He was holding it reverently, as if it were something that disserved respect.

"Okay, we have the Hat," Hermione said, "I don't know if it will sing for you, though."

"Sing?" demanded Marco, "How does a _hat sing?"_

"Heh, this is no _ordinary_ Hat," Harry said.

"And I would be if I were any other," said a new voice.

Slowly, all us Animorphs turned to the Sorting Hat, as it was the thing that had spoken.

"Ex-excuse me?" I squeaked.

"I believe you heard me," the Hat replied, eyebrows raised. Believe me, I've seen a lot of things in my life, but _never a hat raising its eyebrows… and it didn't have any eyebrows, at that!_

"Erm, sorry to bother you," Harry told the Hat, "But could you Sort a few people?"

"That's what Godric Gryffindor created me for, wasn't it?"

"Well… er, yeah."

Harry walked over to Jake. Jake was a good head taller than him. He hesitated. "Um, I think you might want to sit down. It can take a fairly long time, or might seem like it. Well, you're probably not as nervous as the First Years, but…"

Jake sat down on the floor, Indian-style. Harry dropped the Sorting Hat on his head and stood back. It slipped down over his head and covered his eyes. I could hear, but couldn't make out, the Hat murmuring into his ear. After a moment or so, it yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry pulled the Hat off, grinning. He shook Jake's hand and turned to me. He was a little taller than me, but I sat down on the ground all the same. Water seeped into my jeans. I was a little nervous. Would I be in the same House as Jake?

Harry dropped the Hat on my head. It fell over my eyes, and I stared at the black lining.

"Hello, there," the Sorting Har whispered in my ear.

"Uh… Hi." I said.

"Now, what House shall I put you in?"

"Um… um…"

"You have a nice amount of bravery…"

"Thanks."

"You're quite intelligent, but definitely not Ravenclaw material…"

"Okay."

"Oooh! You're a hard-worker, and very loyal to your beliefs. You care for others. You consider ethics, and try to choose right over wrong. Have I the House for you…" The Hat said. "HUFFLEPUFF!"

I've done a lot of things in my life. I've seen a lot of things in my life. I've heard a lot of things.

I have _never_ held an intelligent conversation with a hat before.

Harry pulled the Sorting Hat off. I sighed in relief. It was good to be able to see things again. I scrambled to my feet. Hermione smiled at me.

Harry approached Ax next. Ax was scanning the area behind him with his stalk eyes.

"Er…" Harry said.

Do you wish to place this talking hat over my head? Ax inquired.

Harry nodded and slipped it on Ax's head.

In seconds, the Hat yelled, "RAVENCLAW!"

Tobias was next. He was also Sorted into Gryffindor.

Marco looked dubious as Harry went over to him. "So, a _hat_ is going to talk to me. A _hat is going to basically read my mind?"_

Harry shrugged and nodded.

Marco held up his hands. "Okay! You can lock me up in a rubber room now! Where's my straight jacket? Where are my soft, stuffed animals?"

Nevertheless, he was Sorted into Gryffindor too.

Rachel went next. We waited for a long time for the Hat to make its decision. Harry kept looking at his watch. He wiped his glasses on his robes, put them back on, and kneaded his scar with his fist.

"Well," Harry said after a long time, "This must be a record. It's been seven minutes."

The Hat made a noise. We all turned to it. It opened its brim wide and shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"

**A/N: Muahahaha! Cliffhanger! I'm going to tell you now: I have _nothing_ against Rachel. She's one of my favorite characters. If you're Sorted into Slytherin, it doesn't necessarily mean you're… erm… _evil_.  It just means you're ambitious and will do anything to get what you want, both I see as Rachel qualities. Stick around for the next chapter: "Chapter 11: The Wizarding Sport (Harry)". You _will _see a chapter from Ron's P.O.V. soon!**


	11. The Wizarding Sport: Harry

Chapter 11

The Wizarding Sport (Harry)

I froze. I literally stopped breathing. Horror masked my face. _Slytherin? One of the Animorphs was in __Slytherin?_

As quickly as possible, I recomposed myself. Cassie gave me the smallest of double takes. By the look on her face, I knew that she knew something was wrong.

Stiffly, Hermione removed the Sorting Hat from Rachel's head. Rachel was beaming, unknowing that the House she had been Sorted into was notorious for housing evil wizards.

Voldemort had been in Slytherin.

"Congratulations," I said robotically.

"Thank you!" she cried.

I looked to Hermione. She looked back. She inclined her head a fraction of the inch. She agreed; this was _not_ good.

Jake cleared his throat. Everyone turned to him without hesitation. I was starting to get the impression that Jake was the leader of the band of guerilla warriors.

"Harry, Hermione, I was wondering if we could borrow your DNA."

"What?" asked Hermione. Her eyes sparked and kindled a flame of curiosity.

"To morph you. If we acquire you, we can morph you. Can we? It's not right if we don't ask you first."

"Oh. Sure, you can use mine."

"Same here," I said, "But how are you going to acquire us?"

"It's not painful, if that's what you're thinking. All we have to do is touch you. You might feel sleepy for a moment, but that's it." Jake said. He moved toward me. I held my hand out. He gripped my arm. I saw him concentrate.

It felt almost like the Imperious Curse or being under a veela's spell. Suddenly nothing really mattered anymore. I didn't know that I was Harry Potter. I didn't know that I was in the Chamber of Secrets. I swayed but did not fall. My eyelids fluttered.

Suddenly, it was over. I knew who and where I was. I was almost sorry to have the feeling go. It felt wonderful not to worry.

Jake moved to Hermione and held her hand. I don't know why, but I felt an insane spark of jealously. I pushed it away.

Hermione sagged on her feet. Her mouth opened a little and her eyelids fluttered shut. A spasm crossed her face. Jake let go of her hand and she snapped back to her old self.

Jake stepped back. He looked at me and I caught his gaze. My eyes widened. The look in his eyes was very similar to the look Sirius had and still has after escaping Azkaban, the wizarding prison that is guarded by foul creatures called Dementors.

He broke the gaze by looking down. "We won't use the DNA without asking you if it's okay."

"Erm… fine." I said.

~*~

That's all that really happened for the next two weeks. Hermione and I snuck food from the Great Hall to them, but other than that we never saw them.

Besides that, though, I was watching the calendar. Quidditch season was coming up just around the corner…

"Harry… _Harry_!" hissed a voice I could barely decipher in my subconscious.

"Aunt Petunia, I'll tell him to turn you into a fruit bat…" I murmured, holding the blanket close.

"Who will turn me into a fruit bat?" asked the owner of the voice (who turned out _not _to be Aunt Petunia) with a smile in her voice.

"Uuuh," I replied, rolling over and looking into the blurry face of a black girl. I felt for my glasses on my night table and wearily shoved them on my face. I squinted at Angelina and groaned. She was dressed in full Quidditch robes.

"You do know Neville sleeps naked, right?" I croaked with a feeble smile.

Angelina snorted. "Quidditch practice, Harry. Oliver told me to be captain of the Gryffindor Team this year. And no, I didn't wake you up early. It's nine o'clock."

"On a _Saturday_," I grunted as I propped myself up on my elbows. I rolled out of bed and hit the floor with a loud thump that caused Seamus and Ron to stir. Angelina pulled me to my feet, patted my shoulder, and walked out of the dormitory.

Five minutes later, I was fully dressed. My arm pads were a little loose and I was a little tired, but ready to fly again.

Then I realized that the Animorphs had never seen Quidditch. I checked my new watch (the last had broken during the Second Task). I still had time to grab them.

I ran to the Chamber of Secrets and into the room the Animorphs were in.

All of them were asleep. I felt a little guilty doing it, but I shook Jake awake. He rolled over and squinted at me. "What?" he asked, suddenly alert.

"Oh, I was just wondering whether you wanted to see Quidditch practice," I said. I checked my watch again. I should have been at the pitch two minutes ago. I scratched my neck and shifted the hands holding my top-of-the-line _Firebolt_.

"Quidditch?"

"Yeah. It's a sport. The best sport in the world."

"I beg to differ. That would be _basketball_." Marco was awake.

I grinned. "You don't know the meaning of the word 'sport' until you've seen Quidditch." I challenged.

"Oh yeah?" He sat up and looked me in the eye. "You're on."

We woke everyone else up. They all agreed to come down to the Quidditch pitch with me, but they were going to morph. I shrugged and sat back to watch.

Jake shrunk about a foot. His nose lengthened. His hair turned the color of straw, like Rachel's. His pale skin browned a little. His eyes… I blinked. His eyes turned emerald green, just like mine. Just like my mother's. The muscles on his arms and legs toned a bit.

Marco sprouted like a bamboo shoot. He became pale, a real contrast with his Hispanic complexion. His brown eyes became baby blue. His hair changed from black to brown like Hermione's and stuck up in the back like mine. His nose flattened a little. His thin arms and legs became muscular.

Rachel stayed the same height. Her hair turned black as night, like mine, and crawled back into her scalp until it was shoulder height. Her blue eyes became brown, like Jake's. Her skinny features rounded a little. Her front teeth grew and looked suspiciously like Hermione's had last year. 

Cassie grew and became skinnier than she had been. Her hair became light brown and fluffed out like Hermione's. Her skin became as pale as mine. Her eyes stayed brown, but lightened to a dark hazel. I could see a dash of green from my eyes. Her nose became a little pointed.

Ax's skin became a chocolate-colored brown. His hair became black like mine, but rather thin and wavy. His eyes became deep brown. He was just a little taller than I was. He, too, had buckteeth like Hermione's. A mouth grew and his teeth flashed white in his face.

Tobias's hair was dirty blond. He had Hermione's eyes and my stature. He grew to be almost as tall as Jake (in his usual form). His nose was quite flat.

I stared at them for a moment, but then checked my watch for about the fifth time. I was shocked to find I was all ready ten minutes late.

"Oh, puffskeins!" I yelled, turned on heel, and ran.

The Animorphs followed me. I could hear their feet slapping loudly against the wet, concrete floor. They watched in amazement as I opened doorways with Parseltongue. We ran all the way to the Quidditch pitch.

"Harry!" yelled Angelina as soon as I got on the pitch, "Where _were _you?"

"I… er… I couldn't find my robes." I lied. 

"Oh… well, I want to see how our new Keeper handles first, so get up in the air."

"New Keeper?"

"Yeah," she said, pointing. Lo and behold, there stood Parvati Patil.

"_Parvati_?"

"Yes," replied Parvati, reserving a special glare for me when everyone else turned away. She _still_ hadn't forgiven me for last year's Yule Ball.

I shook my head. I glanced up at the Gryffindor stands and saw the Animorphs standing there. They stared at the fifty-foot high goal hoops. They couldn't possibly understand what they were going to see.

"Mount!" cried Angelina.

I swung my leg over the_ Firebolt_. A slow smile spread across my face. I couldn't wait to fly again.

"Kick off on three. One…"

I gripped my broom handle.

"Two…"

I could hear Marco sniggering. I glanced in his direction.

"Three!"

I kicked off. You know the saying, "What goes up, must come down"? Well, this just doesn't work on the Quidditch pitch.

My hair lie flat against my scalp as I flew up, rising faster than my teammates. My chest rose and my heart sang. A feeling I could get nowhere else reverberated through my bones. My mind cleared of all worries and focused on one central objective: find the Golden Snitch and secure it in my grasp.

Angelina kicked the crate that held the Quidditch balls open. The two Bludgers whizzed out and missed Katie Bell by inches. Immediately, Fred and George the Weasley twins dove after them. I grinned to myself, remembering the "human Bludger" comment confided in me by Oliver Wood.

Angelina threw the Quaffle. The two other Chasers zipped after it.

Then, I saw it: my goal. It flickered in the morning sunlight. If I strained my hearing, I could hear the beating of tiny wings. The vision of it lasted only a second; it zoomed away almost immediately.

I lunged. The Snitch seemed to sense me coming and tried to fly away. It turned and zigzagged nimbly, but my _Firebolt_ could easily outmaneuver it if I tried. I flew after it. I ducked a Bludger that came flying at my head and the Beater who followed it.

Within one-minute tops, I felt the Snitch beating its wings furiously against my palm. I grinned, let it go, gave it a three-minutes start, and dived after it.

Then, I did something I had wanted to try ever since I saw the Quidditch World Cup. I rested some three hundred feet above the ground. With one quick movement, I pointed my broom handle straight down.

The ground approached at an alarming rate. It took every single ounce of concentration that I possessed to keep the broom under control. Beads of perspiration formed on my forehead. The ground was getting closer. I was two hundred feet up…

One hundred fifty…

One hundred…

Fifty…

Twenty-five…

Ten…

Five…

I could make out each individual blade of grass. With all the muscles in my body, I forced the broom handle up. My toes skimmed the grass. My ears roared. I blinked sweat of my eyes.

Once the ringing in my ears died down, I could hear clapping. From various positions in the field, I saw my teammates whistling and applauding. The Animorphs stood in the Gryffindor stands, looking awestruck.

I panted, but grinned. I bowed to my new and old friends.

"Harry! How'd you manage _that_!? That was even better than _Viktor Krum_!" yelled Fred (or was it George?).

"Go Harry! I can't wait to see the look on the Slytherin's faces _this _year!" cried Angelina.

"We'll win the Cup this year for sure! Lions for the cup!" screeched Parvati.

"That was the best Wronski Feint I ever saw!" shrieked Alicia.

"The Slytherins will be sad they ever let that little git Malfoy on the team with you on ours!" shouted George (or was it Fred?).

"Go, go, Gryffindor! Go, go, Gryffindor!" chanted Katie.

I beamed. I couldn't help it. That had to have been my best Quidditch demonstration ever.

The rest of practice continued with much enthusiasm. There was _no way_ Slytherin could get the Quidditch Cup this year!

After changing in the locker room, I met the Animorphs. 

"Quidditch is the best sport _ever_," Marco said fervently.

I smirked. "Told you. Man, the feeling of flying is _wonderful_."

"I know," chorused Jake, Rachel, Marco, Cassie, and Tobias.

"You are quite agile on your cleaning instrument. In-strrrrru-ment. Ment. Struuuuuu. Ruuuuument." Ax said knowledgably.

I smiled and gave them a big, flashy wink. "That's the wizarding sport!" I proclaimed proudly, and we all laughed.

**A/N: Heh, that took a little time. ::scratches neck:: I can't really write _Harry Potter_ in first person. Honestly, I'm better at it in third. I'll come up with another chapter soon. It'll be narrated by Ax, and we _all _know how crazy that can get. My birthday's around the corner, and so is my mother's and friend's (OutlawEris) . It might take a week or two. Please try to bear with me!**


	12. Death Bites!: Ax

Chapter 12

Death Bites! (Ax)

My name is Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill.

And I am an Andalite.

I am the only Andalite currently on the planet Earth, besides Visser Three. I am also brother to Prince Elfangor, who gave my friends the power to morph.

I was stranded on Earth when the Yeerks attacked the Dome Ship. The ship fell to Earth, in one of its oceans. There I remained until the Animorphs found me.

Now I am at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

I do not know what magic is exactly, but I do know that it feels wonderful. It makes my one human heart feel light and tingly. I asked my friends if this is normal, and they said yes, it is a good feeling. I am feeling this now, so I am guessing it is a good feeling.

I had just experienced this boy wizard (a magical person, I later found out) named Harry Potter flying on his cleaning instrument, by which humans call a broom. He had been quite agile, and I found the sport he played exhilarating.

We walked back to the stone structure called a castle. It was noon, for the Earth's yellow sun was almost directly overhead. I had learned to tell time by the position of this sun.

We were about to go up the stone steps, when Harry took a right and headed to a small, wooden house.

"Harry!" called Prince Jake, "Where are you going?"

For the first time, I realized he sounded different. He had when humans called an _accent_. In this case, it was a British accent. For that matter, all of my friends did, including me. They no longer had an American accent.

Harry continued to walk toward the house, but looked over his shoulder (a disturbing human characteristic, but necessary since they do not have stalk eyes) and yelled, "Hagrid's. He's the Keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. Oh, and he teaches the Magical Creatures class. He's one of my friends. He's really tall, I should warn you."

Prince Jake jogged up to him on his two, wobbly human legs. Since he is my prince, I followed him without question.

Harry went up and knocked on the door of the house. "Hagrid! Hey, Hagrid, it's me, Harry!"

There was an amazingly loud bark that startled me into falling. Rachel and Marco caught my arms.

"Harry?" said a gruff voice from behind the door. The door swung open to reveal an alarmingly large human male. He was twice as tall as any other human I had ever met. He had a great amount of facial fur that was black. His two eyes sparkled like black stars.

Suddenly, a dog that was proportional to Hagrid's size leapt out of the door and on Harry. Harry was knocked off his feet and hit the ground with a thud, which forced the air from his lungs. The dog started to drench his face in saliva.

I moved forward to attack the large beast, but Tobias put a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

Once Harry regained his breath, he started to laugh. "Fang! Fang, get offa me!" he gasped, shoving the dog off him. He wiped his face on the sleeve of his robes and scratched Fang, the dog, roughly behind the ears. Fang rolled onto his back and allowed Harry to scratch his belly.

"Harry, who are yeh friends?" Hagrid asked, gesturing to us.

"Uuuum," Harry said, looking at us. "That's Jake, Rachel, Marco, Cassie, Tobias, and…" He hesitated when it came to my name. Humans tend to think that my name is strange. I do not know why, when their own names are quite absurd.

"Philip," prompted Prince Jake, "My cousin Philip."

"Philip," amended Harry. "May we come in, Hagrid? I haven't seen you all summer!"

"What? Oh, yes, yes, o' course!" Hagrid replied.

The large man ushered us inside. He busied himself with making tea, a liquid that had _taste_.

"So, Harry," he said, setting a teapot on the table and pouring it into cups, "Did yeh jus' finish Quidditch practice?"

"Yeah," Harry replied, taking a sip of his tea. His eyes watered and his faced scrunched up into the rather hideous look of human revulsion. His throat constricted. He slowly put down his tea. He wiped his watering eyes.

Hagrid started to pour tea into my cup, but Prince Jake's hand shot out and stopped it.

"Uh, Philip doesn't like tea. In fact, he doesn't like it because he's allergic to it." Prince Jake said quickly.

Now, why would he say such a thing?

"He doesn't like _tea_?" asked Hagrid and Harry at the same time, both ogling at me.

I started to make mouth sounds of protest, but Prince Jake kicked me from under the table. I fell silent and pouted, a movement in which the corners of the mouth turn downward. It usually meant resentment.

I watched as the other drank a sip of their tea and made expressions similar to Harry's. I noticed they did not even touch their tea afterwards.

What a waste. I would have had it.

We spent the rest of the day there. Every one hundred five Earth minutes, the others and I would go one at a time into the forest to demorph and remorph.

"Well, Harry, yeh and yeh friends better be headin' back to the castle now," Hagrid said when dusk fell, "Yeh know how things come out at nigh'."

We bid him farewell and left. It would not be a long walk to the castle. For this I was grateful.

I heard the bushes rustle. A stick, one similar to Harry's, came out and pointed at Harry. Before I could react, a voice yelled, "_Crucio_!"

A stream of scarlet light shot out of the end of the stick. It lashed out and hit Harry in the back.

Harry screamed an unearthly scream and fell to the ground. He writhed and thrashed wildly. His eyes bulged, but I could tell he could not see. Sweat suddenly stood out on his forehead. He clapped his hands to his strangely shaped scar.

Prince Jake bent next to him to see what was wrong, but Harry would not let him close enough for him to see.

Rachel spotted the stick in the bush. She ran to it and lunged. The stick wrenched upward.

Harry stopped screaming and lay, panting, on the ground. His robes were soaked through with sweat. He closed his eyes for a moment, but rolled over and got to his feet.

During this, I had begun to demorph. Once I had all four hooves and my tail, I lashed into the bush. My tail blade hit something and someone yelled. "Ax! That was my _head_!" Rachel cried.

Sorry, I said.

Harry fumbled in his robes for his wand. He found it, whipped it out, and pointed to the bushes. "_Perfectus Totalus_!" he shrieked. A jet of white let streamed out of his wand. A muffled shout followed almost immediately. 

Rachel shifted the bushes and uncovered a human garbed in a long, hooded robe. He lay facedown on the dirt. He jiggled from side to side, but his arms seemed glued to his sides, as were his legs.

"What did you _do_?" asked Rachel, awed.

Harry, panting, ran over. He wiped his streaming eyes. "It's the binding spell," he croaked, "I hit him with the binding spell. He can't move."

"What did _he_ do to _you_?" demanded Prince Jake.

"He hit me with one of the Unforgivables. Sorry, I mean Unforgivable Curses. There are three. There's the Imperius Curse, which makes the victim bend to every order from the spell caster. Only a few people can resist it. There's the Cruciatus Curse, which he used on me. It… inflicts intense pain on the victim." He paused, then added, "It's not the first time I've got the Cruciatus Curse performed on me. I'll be fine in a minute or two."

"You said there were three," prodded Prince Jake.

Harry looked at him. The light that made his emerald eyes sparkle seemed to die out. Pain and hatred fill the benign eyes. "There is. The last one is the Killing Curse. _Avada Kedavra_," he whispered, his voice barely audible, "I've survived that one too. Twice. Once, when I was one, and Voldemort tried to kill me. That's where I got this scar. Twice, last year, when he came back to power and tried to kill me again. It's murdered my parents and other great wizards many times before in the power of Lord Voldemort."

Everyone was silent for a long time. They were speechless, as was I.

Harry leaned down and flipped the human over. The man's face was masked, so we could not see his countenance. Harry slipped the mask off and scowled at whom he saw.

"Macnair," he spit.

"Can you uuum… unfreeze him, Harry?" Prince Jake asked.

"Why? So he can kill us?"

"No. I have his wand. Ax can hold him, with his tail blade."

I nodded, one of the many human traits I've adopted.

Harry hesitated, but muttered a word. 

Macnair fell limp, but quickly regained his posture and tried to scramble to his feet. I immediately pinned on the ground, with my blade tail at his next. I made sure that I slightly bit his skin. Red blood welled up under my blade and trickled down his neck. It would leave a scar.

If he lived that long.

"Macnair, I see you've fallen back into Death Eater ways," Harry said, with an air that resembled one speaking "small talk".

"Potter," hissed Macnair.

"Who else did you expect, after hitting me _in the back_ with an Unforgivable Curse? Lord Voldemort? Dumbledore, perhaps? Hasn't anyone taught you about the rules of a duel?"

"I could've brought you to my Lord hadn't your friends attacked me! I could've been his right hand Death Eater!"

"That's too bad. I'm sorry, but being a Death Eater doesn't get you anything but trouble."

"No! It's gives you _power_! Lots of _power_! Had your parents joined us, they would not be dead!"

"Shut up!" Harry yelled, looking as if he might strike the man.  
            "It's true! _True_!"

"How am I to know what you say is true if you aren't under the effects of the Veritaserum Potion?"

Macnair was silent.

"Tell us what you know of Voldemort's next attempted murder of my friends and I, and maybe—just _maybe_—I might let you live. One wrong move, though, and my friend will gladly remove your head from your body. You will be of no help to your master then." Harry spat.

Macnair considered this. "My Lord has arranged an alliance with beings from another planet."

Harry's normally tan skin became as white as a sheet. I noticed this same change in complexion happening to my friends.

"Yeerks?" asked Harry.

Macnair nodded. "He has an alliance with their leader, Visser Three. They both seek a similar goal: to reign over Earth. My Lord promised the Visser billions of host bodies if the Yeerks would help us. In return, the Yeerks will not infest us. We will triumph, Potter, and there is nothing you can do stop us!"

"You will not," Harry said, his voice hard.

"We won't, will we? They have all ready infiltrated the school. Their goal is to get _you_. You are a major influence in the wizard world, if you did not know. You could persuade quite a lot of wizards to become Yeerks. Too bad they can't use their host's magic. You know, they think magic is technology. Ha! Technology doesn't work at Hogwarts!"

Magic is not technology? I blurted before I could stop myself.

Harry smiled wryly. "No. It's… magic. There is no explanation for it, unlike technology. In fact, electrical objects don't work at Hogwarts."

Suddenly, Macnair started to fade. Harry's eyes widened. "No!" he yelled, trying to grab the disappearing leg. "No! No, no, no!"

My tail blade suddenly fell through his translucent neck. I recoiled and jerked my tail back. Blood still shone red on it in the moonlight.

"No! Not that spell, no!" Harry shouted furiously. He leapt to his feet, eyes ablaze. He looked down at the spot Macnair had previously been in and spat on it.

"What just happened?" demanded Marco.

"It's a spell. He's just been transported somewhere else," Harry said bitterly.

"Well, could you answer me this, then: What's a Death Eater? What's Veritaserum?" Marco asked.

Harry sat back down and rubbed his temples. "A Death Eater is one of the people who serves Lord Voldemort. There are a lot of them: Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy, Macnair, Nott… just to name a few. And Veritaserum is a truth potion. One drop from it, and you'll be spilling your guts to anyone who's there to listen. You can only speak truth. Believe me, I've seen it used."

He rose and left the bushes to walk up the school, staring angrily before him.

There were many things about this Harry Potter we knew, and many things we did not. His world was a strange one. Somehow, I knew he was going to be a major help in our war against the Yeerks. I don't know how, but I did.

**A/N: Dun, dun, duuuuun! Muahahaha, the plot thickens! Yes, I actually do have a plot for this story.  I'm sorry this chapter took so long. Things have been busy, with end-of-the-year finals and birthdays and whatnot. (Oh, by the way, thanks to anyone who wished me a happy birthday! Yay! I'm fourteen!) It's pretty long, compared to my other ones. I hope you enjoyed it! Stick around for the next chapter (hopefully out soon), "My Own Worst Enemy (Ron)"! Woo-hoo!**


	13. My Own Worst Enemy: Ron

Chapter 13

My Own Worst Enemy (Ron)

My name is Ron Weasley.

And I am a prisoner in my own head.

I don't know how it happened. All I remember is someone grabbing me as I went into the backyard to practice Quidditch, and suddenly I wasn't alone in my head. There was a Yeerk there too.

I could no longer control my body.

I've almost given up all hope. Just a small spark of light keeps me from sinking into despair: the Yeerk can't use my magic. It's still mine, and sometimes I can control it enough to overthrow the Yeerk's hold. Even though it lasts for just a few seconds, it makes the Yeerk nervous.

Oh, and by the way, the Yeerk's name is Istrum. Actually, it's Istrum 542 of the Niiar Pool.

Istrum laughed as he watched Harry desperately trying to master a spell gone wrong. Although we couldn't use my magic, we still had to go to class.

Which still bored me to tears.

Your friend is _quite_ naïve, Ronald. Istrum told me, matter-of-factly.

I scowled inwardly. It never reached my lips, of course. I hated it when he called me "Ronald", and he knew it.

"He is not!" I screamed, "He's one of the best people in the world! He's loyal, and brave, and would try to save me any day. He just doesn't know… how _could_ he!? Oh, but he'll find out! And once he does, he's going to save me, and you know it!"

Istrum laughed. You are full of false hopes. He will find out only when one of my people has infested him. I don't doubt his qualities, for I can tell from your memories he lives up to them. Don't be disappointed when he doesn't save you, Ronald. You know how your emotions influence my own.

I scowled again. "Harry _will _find out, and he _will _save me," I fumed. "Even if I have to show him somehow, I will."

Istrum sorted through my thoughts. I hated how he did that. He watched my memories as easily as a muggle watches… what do you call it? Oh, yeah, a video.

He pulled out a memory from when I was three or so. It happened to be the one when I broke Fred's toy broomstick:

_"What did you do!?" yelled Fred, looking down at the two pieces that _used_ to be his toy broomstick._

_"Um—uh—I—" I stuttered. I hadn't _meant_ to break it. I quailed under his furious stare. Frightened, I clutched my teddy bear to my chest. It was one of the only things that could comfort me when one of my brothers picked on me._

_Suddenly, my teddy bear wriggled in my grasp. I gasped in surprise and looked down. I let loose a petrified scream. My teddy bear was no longer a teddy bear, but a living, hideous spider! It had far to many legs that thrashed against my grip. It clicked its pincers centimeters away from my face and studied me with its eight, compact eyes._

_I screamed again and dropped it, backing into the house in total terror. The spider advanced on me. I screamed even louder._

_Mum burst out the back door. She saw me cowering against the house, the spider that was approaching me, the two pieces of Fred's broomstick, and the red-faced Fred that was holding the pieces._

_Her whole face became livid. "_Fredrick Gregory Weasley_!" she shrieked. She summoned her broom and ran at the spider. With one great sweep of the broom _(**A/N: Ha, ha, ha! Ha, ha! ::coughs:: Sorry.**)_, she sent it zooming across the yard._

_I ran to her and hugged her knees. She picked me up and kissed my tearstained face. She stroked my long bangs back from my eyes. "Don't worry, Ronnie. It's gone. It'll never come back!" she soothed._

_"Really?" I asked in a voice that quivered._

_"Really," she said, holding me tight._

_I buried my face in her shoulder. The smell of flowers and her cooking filled my nostrils. It comforted me. As long as she was there, I knew, I would be safe_.

Istrum laughed as the memory finished. 

I sobbed angrily in my own little corner in my mind. I wanted the Yeerk out of my head. I wanted control of my own body again. I wanted to blow something up.

But I couldn't.

"Leave me alone!" I shouted, "Isn't it enough you have control my body? Do you really need to torture me, too?"

Yes, Istrum replied, It makes my time much more… enjoyable. Now, shut up while I copy these notes. This technology is actually quite fascinating, but it is difficult to master.  
            I laughed grimly. "Technology! Ha! That's a muggle thing. I'm sorry to break it to you, Istrum, but it's _not_ technology. It's _magic_. It _has_ no explanation! Quit fooling yourself! Does this _look_ like muggle technology?"

Shut up!

He wriggled my arm into a _very_ uncomfortable position. I yelped in surprise, and scowled some more.

Istrum copied down the notes on the blackboard. My hand was starting to cramp from writing so much. He sighed, and shook it. The pain lessened, but didn't leave.

"Honestly, Ron," Hermione said primly, "You've only written _five_ things, and you're hand's starting to cramp!"

"Hey, I'm not you, Hermione. I don't happen to be Homework Hitler. I haven't written one _letter_ over this summer, and it's softened my hand up. You'd think I actually did extra credit," Istrum muttered, just like I would have.

That made me furious. He sounded _just_ like me. It just wasn't right. Harry and Hermione would probably realize this Yeerk threat only when it was too late.

"_Ooooh_," she raged, "You—"

"Stop!" said Harry. He glared at me, then Hermione. "We're not going to get _anything_ done if you two keep bickering. Ron, I know you can't do any practical work, I know its boring, but _please_ don't provoke Hermione. You remember the fight you guys had in third year? Now, quit it. I actually think this is interesting." He turned back to his work.

Hermione looked at me and shrugged. She gestured to my—Istrum's—notes.

"Hi-ho, Hitler," Istrum mouthed.

She rolled her eyes.

"Mr. Weasley, do you have something you wish to share with the class?" asked Professor McGonagall, startling Istrum and I both.

Istrum jumped and looked up sharply. My face flushed with his embarrassment. I could tell my ears and probably the back of my neck was red for the same reason. "No," he murmured.

"What did you say, Mr. Weasley?" demanded my Transfiguration professor.

Istrum's blush deepened. "Hi-ho, Hitler," he said, my voice barely audible.

"What was that?"

"Hi-ho, Hitler!" he practically yelled.

The whole class roared with laughter. Harry and Hermione had a hard time fighting down giggles. Hermione tried to hide a smile behind her hand, and Harry buried himself in his notes to conceal his grin.

The bell rang. Istrum leapt to my feet. He gathered my books, shoved them in my backpack, and ran out of the classroom.

"That was classic," quipped Hermione when she and Harry caught up with him.

Harry glared at her, which silenced her.

I smiled inwardly. Good, old Harry. He always stuck up for me. I could never imagine him changing his ways.

"Harry! Harry! Over here!" called a voice from the crowd.

As one, our threesome turned to see the speaker. A tall girl came running through the crowd. She skidded to a halt in front of us.

And my heart stopped beating.

I was in love! She was tall, almost as tall as me. Her brown eyes sparkled mischievously. Her hair shone in the candlelight and fell to about her shoulders. She was grinning, revealing slightly large incisors. Her features were rounded slightly. She was pale, with skin the color of ivory. 

As my emotions influenced Istrum's, my face started to flush again. My throat seriously stopped working. I started to sweat, causing Istrum to pull nervously at my collar.

Stop it! yelled Istrum. I was delighted to hear a note of panic in his voice.

"Hey, Harry," panted the girl.

"Hi, Rachel. What brings you here?" Harry replied, glancing nervously at me.

"Could you meet me sometime later today? It's _very_ important." Rachel said, tossing her beautiful hair over her shoulder. She smiled at me. I nearly fainted, which caused Istrum to start screaming at me again.

"H-hi," stuttered the Yeerk. He made my eyes rove her figure. His eyes flicked past something that made me gasp.

Rachel had the Slytherin crest on her robes.

"_Ooooh_," I moaned, "Mum is gonna kill me! I have a crush on a Slytherin!"

What are you talking about? The _Visser_ is going to kill us both if he knows you like this other human! It will ruin any attempts at infesting her that I may make!

"Serves you right…" I muttered.

"Okay," Harry said in a would-be casual voice, "Bye!"

"Bye!" replied Rachel, and ran off down the hall.

He turned to me once she left. "_Love is in the aiiir_!" he sang.

"Shut up!" yelled Istrum, blushing furiously.

Hermione giggled. He rounded on her. "It's not funny! If anything's _funny_, it's your relationship with Viktor Krum!"

She gasped. Her eyes watered and a look of intense hurt took over her countenance. She turned around, nose in that air, and strutted down the hall.

"Ron!" yelled Harry.

That made my anger toward Istrum into fury. He had just destroyed my friendship with Hermione, and probably Harry too. I grabbed my magic and _shoved_. "Let go of me!" I screamed.

To my surprise, it half-left my lips. "Lep ga 'f 'ee!" I said, the words slurred at the tip of my tongue.

Harry stared at me for a long while. "C'mon, Ron, let's go apologize to Hermione," he said. He turned and walked in the direction Hermione had.

Istrum started shrieking at me, but I didn't listen. I was thinking about what I had just done. The small sparkle of light had turned into a ray of hope.

If I pushed hard enough, I could control my body again.

**A/N: Muahahaha! ::coughs:: _Anyway_… I'm sorry that was a little confusing. I'll try better next time. Oh, and was this quick enough for you? It only took two days! ^_^ Stay tuned for the next chapter, "Chapter 14: Switching Spells (Jake)"!**


	14. Switching Spells: Jake

Chapter 14

Switching Spells (Jake)

My name is Jake.

The other Animorphs and I had just reached a very important decision: we were going to give Harry the power to morph.

The only problem was the fact that the morphing cube was still in America.

            "There must be a spell or something that can get it over here," I said, rubbing my temples.

            "But what if there _isn't_?" asked Rachel, tossing her long blond hair over her shoulder.

            "We'll deal." I replied. I thought a moment, then added, "Somehow."

            "I'm here! What is it?" Harry yelled as he arrived. He stopped, panting, in front of me.

            The others all turned to me. They waited for me to tell him. I took a deep breath. "Harry…" I began slowly.

            "I hope your not going to tell me there's another alien invasion going on," he said.

            I shook my head. "No. It's… something else. We have something to ask you. We've come to a major decision. Would you… um…" I faltered.

            "Would I…?" prodded Harry.

            "Do you want the power to morph?"

            I swear, no one spoke for a full three minutes. Harry looked to the heavens, eyes closed, thinking. The muscles in his jaw worked.

            Without so much as a warning, his knees gave way. He crumpled. His hands flew up to cover his scar. His throat constricted, trying to keep down a yell of pain. He hissed through clenched teeth.

            Cassie dropped to her knees beside him. She shook his arm. "Harry! Harry, what's the matter?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm. "Harry! Answer me, and I might be able to help!"

            Harry's tensed muscles suddenly relaxed. His hands fell from his face. He was panting, probably still in pain, but smiled. "No help," he said. He struggled to sit up. "I told you that my scar burns whenever Voldemort is near. Sometimes its just a surge of hatred he feels toward me."

            Cassie stood up and helped him to his feet. He turned to me almost immediately. "If I accept this power to morph, will it help me destroy Voldemort?" he asked, face set in a deadly serious expression.

            I met his eyes and nodded, "Yes."

            "Then I accept."

            I sighed in relief. It would have been awkward if he had rejected it.

            "There's just one problem."

            "And that would be…?"

            "We don't have the morphing cube. I mean, the Escafil device."

            "You don't?"

            "No. It's back home, in America. Is there a spell that could bring it here?"

            Harry chewed thoughtfully on his lower lip. "I think so… Maybe the Summoning Spell?"

            Having no idea what this meant, I just watched him. He shook his head.

            "No… That wouldn't work. People aren't accustomed to objects flying by of their own accord, are they?"

            I shook my head, grinning. I tried to imagine the look on Visser Three's face as the blue box flew by and snorted.

            "Wait… I've got it! The Switching Spell!"

            "The Switching Spell?" Rachel asked.

            "Yeah. It takes one object and switches it with another. My friend Neville accidentally put his ears on a cactus when he tried it, last year."

            We all stared at him. This was just not a statement you heard everyday.

            He coughed. "Anyway, I need another object to do it. Do you have something that's the same size, mass, and weight of the Escafil device?"

            I had no idea what these measurements were for the blue box. However, I knew someone who did.

            "Ax?"

            Yes, Prince Jake? Ax replied.

            I gave an exasperated sigh. "Ax, I'm not a prince. Don't call me prince. Do you think you could find something with those measurements?"

            Ax nodded, one of the many human habits he had picked up on Earth. He plodded away, and returned a few moments later with a large rock. He placed it on the ground before him, poised his tail blade, and struck.

            SHING! SHING!

            Harry gasped and jumped back in shock.

            Sparks flew as Ax's tail blade slashed through the stone. In moments, the stone was cut into an almost exact replica of the blue morphing cube.

            Will this do? Ax asked.

            Harry nodded weakly. He walked over, picked it up, and walked a few ways away. He put it down and took out his wand. He swished it to the left, to the right, flicked it, stooped quickly to tap the stone, and muttered a word.

            Brilliant white light flared up from the rock. I yelped in surprise and threw my arms up to shield my eyes. A squealing noise, like metal against metal, rose and echoed through the room. It made my head pound and my eardrums throb. I ground my teeth in pain.

            The light died suddenly. The squealing noise softened down to a purr, then disappeared completely. After a few minutes, I dared to look.

            Harry stood looking down at the Escafil device. It had worked, but something about the box was strange. It wasn't glowing anymore.

            He grinned at me.

            I smiled weakly. "What was with the noise?"

            He shrugged. "I dunno. It was probably because the thing I switched the rock with was so far away. It wasn't that loud in Transfiguration class. Well, Hermione was the only one who actually did it, but it didn't make a noise like that."

            I picked up the morphing cube. I held it out so that it was resting flat on my palm. "If I remember correctly, you're supposed to touch one side of the box."

            Slowly, he stretched out his hand and put it on the box. He stood there like that for at least two minutes before asking, "Should I be feeling something?"

            I felt panic rising in my chest, but quickly pushed it away. "Yeah. You're not? Do you think the magic could have done something to it?" I asked, my breath becoming ragged. If something happened to the blue box, the outcome could be disastrous.

            "No," Harry said, frowning as he thought, "The spell only switched the objects. It wouldn't have done anything to affect the way the device works."

            No one spoke for five minutes, which seemed like an eon. So suddenly it made me jump, Harry slapped himself on the forehead and rolled his eyes. "Puffskeins, what an idiot I am! I forgot, technology doesn't work in Hogwarts!"

            I swear, if an Andalite can look panicked, Ax did. He lost his composure in a total of .5 nanoseconds. What!? Technology does not _work _at Hogwarts!? How can that be!?

            Harry stared at Ax for a long time, looking a little shocked. "There's a spell on the place that stops it from working."

            Then how will you get the morphing power? asked Tobias, hopping anxiously around on his perch.

            Harry grinned. "We'll go to Hogsmeade. Tomorrow's the trip. Muggle technology works there!"

            "What's a Hogsmeade?" asked Marco, clearly puzzled.

            "It's a village, just outside Hogwarts. It's one of the best places to visit. This can wait till tomorrow, can't it?"

            "Okay. We'll do it tomorrow at Hogsmeade." I said. I started to grin too. Harry's good spirits were infectious.

            "See you tomorrow, eight o'clock sharp!" Harry yelled, running out of the Chamber.

            I didn't know why, but going to this Hogsmeade place seemed like it would be fun to go to.

            I couldn't wait!

**A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed! Special thanks to Reflections of Reality for your review! ::beaming:: It made me feel all warm in tingly inside! And this must be a good feeling, since the Animorphs said so! Anywho, I'm sorry this chapter is kinda short. I couldn't think of anything else to write for it. I could've put the Hogsmeade part in this, but I had a really cool chapter name idea so I made it another chapter.  Stay tuned for my next chapter, "Chapter 15: Butterbeer for Everyone! (Harry)"! Enjoy!**


	15. Butterbeer for Everyone!: Harry

Chapter 15

Butterbeer for Everyone! (Harry)

            My name is Harry Potter.

            I had woken up at six o'clock, though I hadn't wanted to. It was my idea, however grudgingly I suggested it. The Animorphs and I were heading over to Hogsmeade early so that we could possibly avoid the school. If a teacher caught me there when I hadn't gone over with my other classmates (the Animorphs didn't have permission slips as I did), I would be in _big_ trouble.

            Which is the understatement of the year.

            Yawning and stretching, I plodded down into the Chamber of Secrets. It just so happens that I'm not a morning person, so I didn't take the precaution to be quiet. I didn't care if the Animorphs woke up; I was awake, so why shouldn't they be?

            They were awake when I entered, looking just as grumpy as me. They were all wearing their robes, so that they could pass off as students. They stared at me as I came in, and I knew why.

My uniform was a mess. My tie hung loosely from my neck. I was wearing the Quidditch socks that Dobby had made for me because they had been laid out for me this morning and I wasn't in the mood to dig through my trunk. I hadn't bothered to button up my robes, and the top button of my shirt was undone.

"Ready to go?" I asked.

Jake nodded sleepily. "Yup."

"C'mon then," I said, and led the way out of the corridor.

When we left the girls' room, I pulled the Marauder's Map out of my pocket. I held it out, tapped it with my wand, and said clearly, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

"What?" demanded Rachel, who had Tobias on her shoulder. We had discussed what to do last night, and decided Tobias and Ax would morph there. Marco and Cassie both carried backpacks with robes in them. Of course, Ax was human at the moment. He would demorph in the secret passageway.

I didn't answer her. Lines spread from the point where my wand touched the parchment, snaking around the page to form a map of Hogwarts. Word written by an invisible hand scrawled neatly across the top, "Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present _the Marauder's Map_". 

The Map showed me that there were no students out of bed. The teachers were all in their offices. Filch was patrolling on the third floor, and Mrs. Norris on the fifth.

"What is _that_?" demanded Marco.

"The Marauder's Map. My dad and his friends made it. He was Prongs. Peter Pettigrew is Wormtail, Remus Lupin is Moony, and Sirius Black is Padfoot."

"Sirius Black? Isn't he that escaped convict?" asked Cassie, surprised.

"The one and only. He's my godfather." I said matter-of-factly.

I was greeted by silence and stares.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you he's innocent. Wormtail framed him for my parent's death, and being Voldemort's spy. He faked his own death. Sirius was taken to Azkaban, the wizard prison." I stopped, took a breath, and said, "You know, now's not the time for this. I'll tell you about it later."

"Oh, yeah," Jake said, snapping out of his daze.

I led them down the corridor to the statue of the one-eyed, old crone. I checked to make sure no one was heading our way before tapping the statue and saying, "_Dissendium_!"

The crone's hump opened, drawing gasps from the others. I took the backpacks from Marco and Cassie and shoved them down the hole. I handed the Map to Jake. "If anyone comes, close the hump and hide in that room." I said, pointing. He nodded.

I hoisted myself up into the hole. I grinned, waved, and said, "See ya!" I let myself go. I slid down a twisting and turning stone slid. The ride was fun, but not as fun as Quidditch. After a while, I hit damp soil. 

I heard someone coming down after me and knew I had only moments before he or she landed on me. I hit the ground, grabbed the knapsacks, and rolled with my amazing Quidditch skills. Seconds later, Rachel was in the spot I had been.

It was pitch black in the tunnel, except for the ray of lay that came from the opening above. It disappeared as Jake, the last Animorph, came sliding down.

"_Lumos," I said. The tip of my wand lit with blue fire._

"Here," Jake said, handing me the Map.

I held it out and tapped it again. "Mischief managed," I announced. The map of Hogwarts disappeared. I rolled it up and stuffed it down the front of my robes.

We waited as Ax demorphed. As soon as he finished, I took off in a sprint down the corridor. "Last one there buys butterbeer!" I yelled.

"Hey!" Marco shouted, running after me immediately, "No fair!"

Because I held the light, the others were forced to follow me. I heard a galloping sound. In seconds, Ax had passed me. A hawk's cry from ahead told me Tobias had too.

I ran as far as I could without stopping. Finally, exhausted, I slowed to a jog. Here I realized the ground was started to rise. We were almost there!

Ten minutes later, the Animorphs and I reached the stairs. Ax and Tobias were all ready there and waiting.

We started to walk up the many stone steps. After a few moments, my head hit something hard.

_Thud_!

"Ow!" I yelled, rubbing the spot furiously.

"Hey, Harry, how's your head?" sniggered Marco.

"Ha, ha, ha," I said dryly.

I motioned for the others to be silent. Slowly, I raised the trap door and peeped out. I saw someone shuffle down the stairs, and a voice calling to him.

"John, get a lot of everything. The school is coming over today. Bring the whole box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans up, too. They're very popular among the students," said a feminine voice.

John, a man in his mid-twenties or so, muttered to himself and shifted through the boxes. He begrudgingly carried it up the stairs.

When he was out of earshot, I said, "We have to get out one at a time. Watch me. Do it like I do."

The Animorphs nodded.

John came down again and took another box. As he started walking up the stairs, I silently darted out of the trapdoor and dodged behind a box. He came down again. When he had his back to me, I picked up the box, hoisted it up in my arms, and walked the stairs so that it would hide my face.

"Good, John," the woman who had called down to John purred, "Set it down just over there, okay?"

"Mmm-hmm," I answered, making sure to lower my voice. I set it down, rolled under the counter, and quickly exited the shop.

It took a little while for the others to come out, but they did. Tobias and Ax had morphed human to do it. The other Animorphs had morphed their wizard/witch morphs just in case they got caught. Much to my relief, they didn't.

I led them down a deserted rode. When Hogsmead was a safe distance away, we stopped.

"Okay. You ready, Harry?" Jake asked.

"Probably not, but let's get it over with." I retorted.

He smiled at me. He bent down and pulled the Escafil Device, holding it out flat on his palm. It glowed faintly now. I stared at it for a moment.

"Go on," Rachel said, "Just touch a side."

My mind raced. I was having second thoughts now, unfortunately. Mechanically, I held my hand out. After what seemed like an eon, I touched the Escafil Device.

A tingling sensation spread rapidly down my fingers and through my body. The feeling in my fingers and toes went numb. It reached my head and made my ears ring. My eyes slid out of focus, and the tension in my jaw slackened. My eyelids half closed.

The next thing I knew, someone was shaking me roughly by the shoulders. "Harry! Harry!" Tobias yelled.

The feeling returned in my body. My eyes could suddenly focus again and opened to their widest extent. I cried out in surprise and stumbled backward.

"What was _that_?" I yelled, soundly shaken.

"I—I don't know," spluttered Jake, "That didn't happen to any of us!"

Perhaps the morphing technology does not go well with your "magic", suggested Ax, Perhaps it erased your magic, or the morphing technology, or both.

"_WHAT_!?" I yelled, panicking. I whipped out my wand, pointed to a nearby rock, and screeched, "_Accio rock!"_

Much to my relief, the rock flew into my hand. Unfortunately, it came at me with such force it knocked me over.

My panic died away. I didn't care much for the power to morph, but as long as I still had my magic…

"Are you okay?" asked Cassie concernedly.

I nodded and stood hurriedly. I touched a hand to my pocket, which was full of galleons, sickles, and knuts. "I'm fine. You know, all this is making me thirsty. How 'bout a round of butterbeer on me?"

Jake smiled, relieved. "Sure."

Chatting happily, we went back into Hogsmeade. As we walked back, I started seeing Hogwarts students. I frowned to myself. No one but a Slytherin would make an issue of my being there, and, fortunately, I saw none.

I walked to a large table and sat down. Madame Rosmerta, dressed in a sparkly green dress with matching high-heel shoes, glided over our table. Her red hair was piled on top of her hair today, for it was turning out to be a warm day.

"Hello, Harry, have a nice summer?" she beamed.

"A great one, thanks." I replied.

"What will you be having today?"

"Seven butterbeers, please."

"Coming right up!" She walked away, her shoes clicking as they hit the wooden floor.

I turned to my new friends. "What's butterbeer?" asked Tobias. He ran a hand through his dirty blond hair.

"It's a drink. It's the best thing you've ever tasted in your life, believe me," I said fervently.

"Is it anything like beer?" asked Marco hopefully.

I laughed so hard I cried. "No," I choked, wiping away tears of mirth, "Of course not!"

            Madame Rosmerta returned, a tray in one hand. She distributed the tankards and left, smiling cheerily at us.

            I took a large gulp. The moment the liquid reached my stomach, warmth spread to every far inch of my body. I started to salivate, and wouldn't stop until I took another swig.

            I watched the other's faces over the rim of my glass. They wore expressions of delighted surprise.

            Suddenly, a yell from across the table made me drop my drink in shock. 

"TASTE! TAAAAASTE!" screeched Ax.

People all over the pub turned to stare. Quickly, I waved my wand and muttered a spell. Quite suddenly, Ax found he couldn't talk.

Jake looked incredibly relieved. I winked at him.

"Thanks," he mouthed.

"No problem," I replied.

We finished our butterbeers. I left Ax mute, for I didn't want him calling attention to us. The rest of us, however, continued our talking.

When we finished, I gave them a tour of Hogsmeade. I showed them Zonko's, the Post Office, Honeydukes, and the other shops. I even bought them their own wands at the small wand shop on the outskirts of the village. Somehow, I knew that they'd need the wands later.

Marco and I had fun blowing bubbles with Droobles Best Blowing Gum, which made bubbles that lasted for days. I astounded Cassie with the Toothflossing Stringmints.  I amazed Rachel by showing her how to breathe fire after eating Pepper Imps. I made Tobias laugh with Ice Mice. I shocked Ax with Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Jake and I over-enjoyed eating exploding bonbons.

We all went up for a visit to the Shrieking Shack, where I explained that it wasn't haunted. _That_'s where we ran into trouble.

"Well, if it isn't scar-head and his fan club," drawled a cold voice from behind us.

I spun around. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle approached us. Malfoy was walking his usual swaggering gait. His two bodyguards lumbered behind him like apes.

"Why, if it isn't the amazing, bouncing ferret and his two pet apes," I retorted immediately.

Malfoy winced. His pale face flushed. Crabbe and Goyle took a minute to process the insult, and then cracked their knuckles menacingly.

"Well, at least _I_ didn't kill someone," he snapped.

I swear I would have been at his throat if Crabbe and Goyle hadn't stopped me. They held me back as I fought furiously to get at the little weasel. 

"I didn't kill him!" I shouted, "Wormtail killed him, you little—" 

"Let him go," interrupted Jake. He chose a good moment to interject, because I had been about to call Malfoy something extremely rude.

"Why should they?" asked Malfoy coolly.

Rachel's hands balled into fists. "Because he said so, you freak." She hissed through clenched teeth.

Malfoy examined her closely, and raised his eyebrows in slight surprise.

"Why, you're in Slytherin," he said, stating the obvious.

"So? What's it to you?" snapped Rachel.

"What are _you_ doing, hanging around with this bunch of looser Gryffindors? Why don't you come with us, your own kind. I mean, I know no decent Slytherin who hangs around with arrogant Gryffindors, pushover Hufflepuffs, and know-it-all Ravenclaws! You've gotten yourself in the wrong crowd!"

Rachel would have been on him if Jake hadn't grabbed the back of her robes. "Those _arrogant_ Gryffindors, _pushover Hufflepuffs, and __know-it-all Ravenclaws happen to be my _friends_!" she shrieked, fighting her cousin to get to him._

Malfoy shrugged. "Suit yourself." He turned to me. "I never did get to finish what I was saying on the train home, now, did I? Now, what did I say? Oh, yes. You've picked the wrong side, Potter. You're going to meet the same sticky fate as your parents. Just you wait. Lord Voldemort will prevail. He will kill you, like he should've fourteen years ago. He will. It's only a matter of time."

By then, I was seriously seeing red. Unbelievable hatred flooded my veins. My heart thudded and leapt into my throat.

He clicked his fingers. Without warning, Crabbe's fist connected squarely with my face. I yelled in pain. A loud snapping noise told me my glasses had just broken in half. Something wet dribbled down my upper lip. Disbelievingly, I touched it. My fingers came away wet with blood.

I lashed out with my wand. "_Stupefy_! _Stupefy_!" I screamed, hitting Crabbe and Goyle both in the back with Stunning Spells. They fell, knocked out cold. Malfoy turned around, shocked.

"_Impedimenta_!" I screeched. He froze. I shot several different curses at him. The Triwizard Tournament had taught me some handy self-defense skills.

I turned sharply and started to walk down the hill. Jake followed me, looking a little subdued. "What was that?" he asked, giving me a sideways look.

I looked at him, eyes glinting. "I've had too much of that little git. For the past five years, all he's done is taunt me about my parents, my friends, and many other things. I couldn't take it any longer."

"Oh."

We walked in silence a little longer. Cassie gathered up all her courage and squeaked, "What was that he said? About you killing someone?"

I froze in my tracks. The road was no longer in front of me. Instead, I saw Cedric Diggory lying by my side, dead. He clutched the Triwizard Cup in one hand. A look of mild surprise was on his face, and his eyes were wide and glassy.

I shook my head, clearing the vision. "I didn't kill him," I said softly, "Wormtail did. I won a tournament, and the prize turned out to be a portkey, something that transported me to a graveyard. Since me and Cedric had taken the Cup at the same time, it took us both. It was supposed to just be me. It was supposed to be just me so that Voldemort could kill me. He told Wormtail to 'kill the spare'. Well, he did. He killed Cedric. It's not my fault."

"Oh, Harry," whispered Cassie. She was about to say more, but we arrived at Honeydukes and I didn't let her finish.

Somehow, we managed to get back to Hogwarts without anyone seeing us. I bit them goodnight at Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom and went back up into my dormitory. There, I flopped down on my bed, grabbed my photo album off my bedside table, and closed the curtains around my bed.

I wasn't hungry for dinner.

I flipped through the photo album and felt tears prick at the back of my eyes. I closed my eyes and willed them to go away. 

Anger filled my mind and nearly drowned out my senses. My thoughts chased one another in my mind. Who to blame for all this? Who to blame for my parent's death? Who to blame for Cedric's death?

Wormtail? Lucious Malfoy? Any other Death Eater?

No.

Whenever I asked myself this, it always came back to one person. It always was because of this person. There was one person to blame.

Voldemort.

Although I didn't know how, I knew one thing: he was going to pay.

And he was going to pay soon.

**A/N: Muahahaha! I've officially completed this in _one day_! Woo-hoo! It's one of my longer chapters, too! I hope you enjoyed it. In case you're wondering, this story is nowhere near finished. I hope you like long stories! Stick around for the next chapter, "Chapter 16: Morphing Lessons (Tobias)"! (side note: the title _may_ change!) **

**::looking overwhelmed:: Well, Reflections… heh, that's a lot-o-questions. I'll do my best to answer them, using my encyclopedic knowledge of both Harry Potter and the Animorphs! ::wink wink::**

Q: About absorbing DNA, does magic act as a preserver of it?  For instance would a phoenix wand core still have DNA that can be absorbed, dragon heartstring? unicorn hair? maybe even certain potion ingredients?

**A: Well, as I see it, part of an animal would still have the original DNA of the creature. I'm not K. A. Applegate or anything, so I have no idea. I'm just telling you my theory. I probably _will_ use things like this for the Animorphs, Harry, and company so they can get the DNA.**

Q: _In Animagi transformation is it DNA that changes or is it just a physical self-transfiguration?_

**A: Again, I have no idea, but I'll relay to you my theory. I think it's just a physical, self-transfiguration change. Though I don't know how wizards become Animagi, I'm pretty sure they can change into only one animal. I'm also pretty sure that the Animagi doesn't have to touch the animal and acquire its DNA. Transfiguration and morphing are basically the same thing, excepting the fact that one is technology and the other is magic. Two _very_ different things.**

Q: _Would spells that affect the mind affect only the mind in control?_

A: ::laughs:: Now, I personally know that K. A. Applegate and J. K. Rowling, though both two great authors, will never collaborate their stories. They have different styles. So, I'll tell you how I see it. I'm going to have to say it would affect both Yeerk and host. If something affects the host, it usually affects the Yeerk, and vice versa. Besides, the spell or potion would probably affect all sentiment minds inside the victim.

Q: _If stupefy would force a person unconscious would the Yeerk in control be knocked out or would it be the physical host?_

A: Both. Again, the spell would probably affect all sentiment minds in the victim. If it hit the host, it is going to hit the Yeerk. The Stunning Spell, as I see it, affects the mind. Since that is where the Yeerk is, I think it would affect both.

Q: _Would a Yeerk's worst fear from a boggart a pile of salt? maybe even an Andalite? or maybe a broken Kandrona(sp?)? either would be interesting to explain in a DADA class._

A: Again (I'm using that word a lot now), there are two minds. Basically two persons inside one. The boggart would become half the Yeerk's fear and half the human's fear. This would only put the boggart in a fix, and confuse the D.A.D.A. teacher (unless he or she was a Yeerk).

Q: _What would happen if they researched a spell to block physical entry into an ear? like sound may pass but nothing else will? _

A: Well, that would sure muddle things for the Yeerks! Unfortunately, the only people in Hogwarts that know about the invasion are Controllers or kids. Now, Harry and Hermione don't have any expertise in the field of spell making. The only thing they could do was make a big mess of things. So, no, there is going to be nothing like that.

Q: _If someone gets stuck as an Andalite can they still morph?_

A: That's a question I know for sure! No, they could not still morph. The person would be a _nothlit_, same as Tobias and David. Just because Andalites invented the Escafil Device doesn't mean their immune to the two-hour morphing limit.

Okay, now that's over with! If you find something wrong with this, feel free to correct me in your review. I might change it in the next chapter's A/N. Thanks for your reviews again! I love you all! Till next time, this is Meagan, over and out!


	16. Here, Kitty, Kitty!: Tobias

Chapter 16

Here, Kitty, Kitty! (Tobias)

My name is Tobias.

It was the day after we had given Harry the power to morph. I was perched on Rachel's shoulder, one of the only steady places to rest. Almost everything else was wet or damp.

You may think I didn't mind being indoors. That I was comfortable being in such a large room.

Think again.

My hawk instincts had been going nuts ever since I entered the building, screaming at me to get out of the giant cage. I ignored it as best I could.

Harry was with us. He was going to acquire his first morph.

"So, Harry, is there a useful morph around here you could use?" asked Jake.

"Mrs. Norris," Harry replied instantly.

I felt Rachel stiffen. I ruffled my feathers. Harry wanted to acquire a human?

"We can't use sentiment DNA without permission," Jake stated firmly, with a quick look to Cassie.

She looked a little queasy.

"No, no," Harry laughed, shaking his head, "Mrs. Norris isn't human. She's a cat, Filch's helper. I could go _anywhere_ in the building and grounds in her shape."

"Oh," Jake said, visibly relaxing.

I let my feathers fall and being to preen them flat. I shuffled around a little on Rachel's shoulder, and tried to look as calm as a hawk trapped indoors could.

"If were going to go around the school, you're going to have to morph wizards." Harry said.

I fluttered off my perch and landed unsteadily on the ground. I concentrated on the human I wanted to become, and began to morph.

The first thing that happened was that I grew like a bamboo shoot. My feathers turned into hot wax and bubbled. It solidified again, this time as human skin. The skin on my legs and feet did the same. My talons split and became toes. My beak melted and sank back into my face. Teeth and lips formed inside my mouth. My tongue thickened. A large chunk of skin formed my nose.

I sighed as my eyesight dimmed. My hearing, and most of my other senses, did as well. Two large flabs of skin jutted out the sides of my head and formed ears. My head grew in size to match the proportion of my ears. 

SPROOT! Dark blond hair (is there such a thing? If there is, that's what color it was) sprouted from my scalp.

POP! POP! My morphing suit appeared as my body reshaped itself, my spine becoming straighter as my chest sunk like a deflated balloon.

Gross.

POP! POP! POPPOPPOP! Fingers sprouted and grew from the ends of my wings.

Soon, I was completely human. However, I was not a wizard yet. That quickly changed. A warm sensation filled my chest, making me smile. The sensation filled my heart and mind. At the back of my head, it comforted me.

I was magical.

As soon as I finished morphing, Rachel threw my robes at me. I hurriedly pulled on my gray pants, white blouse, socks, and black robes, with the Gryffindor emblem on it. I tied my shoes up. Rachel had to knot my red-and-gold striped tie for me. I pulled my wand from my pocket and grinned as warmth spread up my fingers and filled my body, making me tingle.

I was proud of my wand. It was ebony and rowan. I lived in a rowan tree. It was eleven and a half inches long. At its core (now, I was _very_ proud of this) was a phoenix's feather. It was excellent for levitation.

Harry had told me that his wand contained a phoenix feather, also.

"Okay, let's go," he said.

We left the Chamber of Secrets to search for Mrs. Norris.

"I feel like I'm _looking_ for trouble," he muttered, "And usually it's trouble that looks for _me_."

We found the sandy-colored cat on the third floor, right by the Gryffindor common room (which I had never been in).

"Mrs. Norris," Harry said, nodding at the cat. Mrs. Norris studied him with lamp-like yellow eyes. It acknowledged him with a nod in return.

He stalked toward Mrs. Norris, who held her ground. With a trembling hand, he stretched a hand out to touch her. Once his hand was in range, she hissed and batted his hand with her clawed paw. He yelped as she broke skin and withdrew his hand. He glared at her.

Mrs. Norris hissed again, as if daring Harry to try again. He did: his hand shot out and snapped back immediately. She went for the fake. He touched her back when he had his chance and concentrated. Her face became relaxed. Her outstretched palm fell.

He rolled away when he finished. Mrs. Norris snapped back to her old self. Her ears lie flat against her skull and bared her teeth.

"Sorry!" he said, and ran down the hall past us.

"Harry! Where are you going?" Jake yelled, running to catch up.

Harry stopped a few corridors away and panted. He looked Jake up and down and said, "When you find Mrs. Norris, Filch isn't very far behind. If he found me touching his cat, I'd have detention for the rest of the year."

"Aaah. We know how you feel," Marco said with a big, flashy wink.

Harry grinned. He looked down at his hands and seemed to think about what he had just done.

"So, Harry, are you ready to morph?" Jake asked.

"Yeah. Let's go somewhere safe, though. How about Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom?"

"Sure. I guess so."

We walked into the girls' bathroom. 

"Hey, Harry? Why's this bathroom called Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom?"

"Uuum… I think she can answer that question," Harry said, pointing over Rachel's shoulder.

The others hadn't seen a ghost before, like me. You can guess they were pretty shocked when Moaning Myrtle glided through the stall door.

"Yah-ha-ha!" cried Marco, jumping back.

"Were you talking about me?" Moaning Myrtle asked in her mournful voice.

"Hey, Myrtle," Harry said cautiously. "We're just here to… um, try a new spell."

She eyed him up and down. "But you're a _boy. Why come here?"_

"It's a… er…. _nice place_." He lied.

"You—you're lying!" Myrtle said. She puffed herself up and tears filled her eyes.

"No! No, Myrtle! That's not it at all! It's just—!" Harry said, but it was too late. She let loose a long wail, flew up, and dived down the toilet.

We all stared.

"Uuuh… well, I can morph now," said Harry with an apologetic grin.

"Let's do it!" Rachel said, making me grin.

"Here we go," Harry said. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and began to morph.

A/N: Sorry to leave you hanging! I want Harry's morphing to be in his own P.O.V. It's not a great chapter, either. I'm tired. What can I say?

**Anywho, to answer your question (sorry, I forget who you are!), no, the Summoning Charm wouldn't work. I actually considered doing it before, but changed my mind. That would make everything too simple and, plus, there's a little, tiny problem. You see, the Yeerk is wrapped around the host's brain. If you pull the Yeerk out forcibly, who says the host's brain isn't going to come with it? Killing the person isn't exactly saving the person. The Animorphs, Harry, Hermione, and co. want to keep the hosts alive!**

**Stick around for my next chapter, "Chapter 17: Animal Instinct (Harry)"! **


	17. Animal Instinct: Harry

**A/N: Hey yo! First of all, I want to apologize for taking a month and a half to write this. ::pulls out list of excuses:: First of all, _I_ went to Florida and then to New York. This took three weeks. Not to mention _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix _came out (the _best_ book in the world, which I read in a whopping 8 ½ hours! Woo hoo!). Then I had writer's block (curse it all!). And, for the last week, I have been teaching third graders at Vacation Bible School!**

**Anywho, I just want to make a little note. This is VERY IMPORTANT so read JUST THIS PART if you please! I am writing this story at the SAME TIME as the _Order of the Phoenix_. The person who dies has NOT YET DIED in this story. His/her death will not be mentioned, nor will he/she be hinted at. He/she WILL be in the story. DO NOT put him/her in the reviews. Thank you!**

Chapter 17

Animal Instinct (Harry)

My name is Harry Potter.

I had just "acquired" Mrs. Norris. This shocked me a little, since I had actually _touched_ her. I was attempting to morph her. After the episode in Hogsmeade, I was starting to think this wasn't as good an idea as I had thought at first.

I closed my eyes and concentrated. Mrs. Norris was easy to imagine. How many times had she caught me doing things I shouldn't have been doing?

I opened my eyes when I felt a tingling sensation crawl down my skin. It wasn't unfamiliar. I'd had many spells put on me that felt like this. I looked down to see what had caused it.

I gasped in surprise, and not many things surprise me anymore. Sandy-colored fur rippled down my skin. My chewed fingernails lengthened and sharpened, becoming claws. My fingers thickened and reshaped.

I felt my ears as they slid up my face to the top of my head. At the same time, my glasses were sucked into my face. I whirled around to look in the mirror and immediately wished I hadn't.

My face looked like Hermione's had when she accidentally put a cat hair in her Polyjuice Potion. My face was furry and my eyes were cat-like, yellow, and huge. My nose sprouted whiskers and reshaped itself. My teeth became incredibly sharp and my tongue became as rough as sandpaper. At this point, I had to force myself to look away.

CRRRACK! With a huge cracking sound that echoed, my knees reversed direction. At the same time, my spine forced me onto all fours. A tail lashed out behind me.

Something almost like another mind bubbled underneath mine. It held an air of purpose. I was supposed to patrol the school for students breaking the rules and tell Filch!

My ears pricked up at the sound of voices. I snapped my head around to see who had made it. I looked up at the human children, who stared back.

One male leaned to another and muttered, "He morphed clothes, Jake. He just morphed clothes."

"Mreow." I said.

"Harry?" asked a female with a kind voice. She squatted down beside me and looked into my eyes. "Harry, get a grip. You're Harry Potter. You're human and have human friends, Ron and Hermione."

I just stared up at her, swishing my tail.

She chewed on her lip and sighed. "Lord Voldemort," she whispered.

The word snapped me back into my right mind. Whoa! I yelled, backing into the wall.

"Harry, calm down! That's totally normal. You get caught up in the instincts on your first morph. It's normal." Jake said.

Breath, I ordered myself. I stared around me, studying my new perspective. 

So _this_ was what it was like to be Mrs. Norris. 

This is… strange, I breathed. I stalked around Marco and peered around Rachel's legs. A million new scents filled my nostrils. I sniffed Rachel's leg. She felt my nose and twitched away. She smelled funny. She smelled almost like… _magic_.

Holy hippogriffs, I can smell magic! I gasped.

"What?" demanded the Animorphs as one.

I can smell magic, I repeated.

"_That_ could be useful." Marco said with a grin.

Is it normal for the animal's… _personality to come with the instincts?_

Jake glanced at Ax, then Cassie. "No."

Hmmm… I said thoughtfully. I swished my tail and plodded across the wet floor to where Moaning Myrtle usually resides. The place reeked of death and powerful magic. I sneezed and shook my head.

"Harry, you do realize you just morphed clothes, right?" asked Tobias.

Let me guess… that's not normal either.

"Ding, ding, ding! We've got a winner!" laughed Marco.

"Well, it sure does give you an advantage," Rachel said, "You won't freeze to death in this freezing cold weather!"

Freezing cold? It's actually quite a warm autumn. I said, surprised.

She only shivered in reply. 

"Are we going to take a walk around the school?" asked Cassie.

No! I yelled before anyone else could say anything. Students walking around with Mrs. Norris just isn't normal. Normal people go in the other direction, unless they purposely want a detention. I felt an involuntary shiver run down my spine as I thought of my continuing detentions with Professor Umbridge.

"What? Have you had bad experiences with teachers?" asked Marco.

You don't know the half of it. I said dryly. I did forget to mention the face that Umbridge's goal in life was to make me miserable, and that Snape loathed me because I look like my Dad…

Footsteps echoed outside. I jumped in surprise and hissed. We waited in tense silence of the footsteps echoed, getting loud, and slowly faded away.

I'd better demorph, I said breathlessly.

Jake nodded fervently.

I imagined myself again. This time, my morph took seconds. The Animorphs were actually gaping at me when I resumed my natural form. It wasn't as weird as last time. You tend to get used to magic after a while.

"That," Cassie fervently, "Is the fastest demorph I have ever seen in my life."

I shrugged, feeling a little uncomfortable. I rubbed my scar, which tingled a little. Immediately, her hand shot out and she grabbed my hand. She stared at the scar on the back of my hand, which said, "I must not tell lies."

"Where did you get this?" she demanded.

"I—er—detention," I said, "Professor Umbridge… doesn't like it when I tell the class Voldemort is back." I pulled my hand free. "It's nothing. I've had worse."

She gave me a disbelieving look, but said nothing after that.

I opened the Chamber of Secrets for them. "I'll see you tomorrow," I said, waving as they disappeared down the pipe one-by-one.

I trudged back to the common room. Hermione sat with Ron, playing wizarding chess. Ron grinned up at me. Well, at least the Yeerk did. He was winning. Hermione seemed a tad bit jumpy, but she was relaxing into the game.

I _still_ though it was good for her to be loosing at _something_.

I flopped down on the couch and stared off into space.

"Hey, Harry," the Yeerk in Ron's head said cheerily.

I grunted.

"Whassamatter?" he asked.

"Lousy day," I replied, "You know, detention with Umbridge and everything."

"Aaah," he said knowingly. I could tell he was sorting through Ron's memories as easily as if he was using a Pensive. "Not as bad as the Forbidden Forest, is it?"

"No."

Crookshanks meowed loudly and leapt into my lap. I absently stroked his back. He began to purr. I looked down at the ugly ginger cat and an idea came to mind. I closed my eyes and concentrated. Crookshanks fell limp over my legs.

"Awww," cooed Hermione, "He likes you!"

Ron rolled his eyes. I smiled mirthlessly. Little did she know, I could now become her cat.

This was going to be one useful morph.

**A/N: ::wails:: Sorry it was so short! I'll get more up soon! **

**BUT for a little treat and just for my curiosity, I'm going to include an excerpt of one of my original fictions. This has NOTHING to do with Harry Potter or the Animorphs. You will not find it on FictionPress.net, but I hope to get it published as a book. Enjoy:**

Alexander nodded. He ran his hand over the top of his walking stick. "We aren't insane. No. It happens because we're special. We're not like other people, Ridara. We have more purpose, more knowledge, more reason. There's a job we were created for. There is a prophecy that we must fulfill."

"Ooookay," Ridara said. She slowly backed her chair up and started to rise. "You know, I might not be insane, but _you _defiantly are." She told him.

"No," Alexander said. With an action Ridara didn't have time to see, his hand shot out and grabbed her arm. She tried to jerk out of his grip, but he held fast with strength he didn't look capable of having. She quickly sat down.

"Ridara," he said, "I am not insane, nor are you. I am a Protector, as you are. You are having strange dreams, are you not? Sometimes, when something is mentioned or you see something, your whole body freezes up. You see things that can't possibly be true. You have visions that show horrific shadow-beings."

Ridara started to shake. "Yes," she said quietly, "Yes, but how do you know? How can you possibly know?"

Alexander sighed. "I see it too, only in a different context. You see things of the past, whereas I see things of the future. The things you see have already been. The things I see are yet to occur. The time has come for you to know. The time has come for you to learn."

"Now?"

"Yes, now. Now you must learn of the thing that is coming in the near future. You must see what I see."

"But how?"

"This is how." Alexander said. As if in slow motion, he stretched his hand toward her face. She watched, unmoving. In what seemed like hours, his three middle fingers gently brushed the skin on her forehead. They were cool and dry. 

Ridara watched Alexander intently. His eyes slid out of focus and his eyelids fluttered. His face muscles relaxed. Suddenly, the cool fingers on her forehead burned like fire.

Alexander's face and the classroom dissolved. It was replaced by a view of a street. Which street, Ridara knew not. All streets in the World basically looked the same. Judging from the lack of light, it was night. The happenings on this street, however, looked very familiar.

People were running and screaming in panic. Loud squealing sounds filled her ears. Shadow-creatures leapt from nearby trees and rooftops onto panicked, unsuspecting victims. Some people were killed and eaten, while others were picked up and carried away. Still others were just slain and left dead on the streets. The people who were killed were generally elderly people and very young children.

Blood was strewn everywhere. The stench of it pronounced itself loudly in Ridara's nose. Strange collars were placed around some people's necks. These people got brutally dragged away at a running pace. They often fell and got injured, adding to the blood already spilt upon the tar.

Ridara wanted to scream. She wanted to close her eyes and shut it all out. She wanted to stuff her fingers in her ears to stop the sounds of the dying and strange shadow-creatures. She wanted to stop the reek of blood from entering her nostrils. She wanted to—

It stopped suddenly and without warning. Ridara could see Alexander's face and her familiar classroom. She was drenched with cold sweat, which made her clothes stick to her skin. Tears were trickling quietly down her face. She gave a muffled sob.

"They're coming," Alexander said quietly, "And they're coming for us." 

**Muahahaha! Hope you like it! Till next time, this is Meagan, over and out!**


	18. Shanks, Crook!: Marco

Chapter 18

Shanks, Crook (Marco)

My name is Marco.

Today was Monday. Harry had given us the schedules of our houses, for we were to begin taking magic classes. I had totally refused at first, but Cassie had persuaded me to join in.

Turns out Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had Defense Against the Dark Arts Class first thing.

At least it sounded interesting…

I strode into the classroom with Jake, Tobias, and Ax at my side. We made sure to get as close to Harry as possible, but Hermione and a red-headed kid I assumed was Ron were sitting beside him on both sides. I sat behind him, but for the minutes before class started I was too preoccupied staring at a pair of twins with gorgeous, long brown hair to talk with him. Their names, I found out from eavesdropping on them, were Parvati and Padma.

What _lovely_ names!

"Why, hello," I said smoothly, running a hand through my hair. It was really too bad I wasn't my usual cute self.

They both stared at me. "Who are _you?" asked Parvati._

"Oh, I'm Peter. I've transferred here from Beauxbatons," I replied, repeating the identity Harry had made up for us.

"Oh!" gasped Padma excitedly, "That's so _interesting! I knew a really cute boy from your school. He danced with me almost the whole time, because _Ron_," she glared at the red-headed boy, "didn't want anything to do with me!"_

"Same with Harry. He kept staring off at some Ravenclaw girl," Parvati said sulkily.

I gasped exaggeratedly, eyes growing wide. "Who would ever _not want to do with as beautiful creatures as yourselves?"_

They both giggled and blushed. They glanced at each other, which only made their conditions worse. I grinned and leaned closer to them, when the ugliest person I have ever seen in my life entered the room. She looked like a toad wearing pink lace. I guessed that this was the infamous Professor Umbridge.

Parvati and Padma immediately sobered. Disappointed, I sat back.

"Wands away," she said cheerfully, in a voice like a little girl's. This made my disappointment worse, but nonetheless I slipped my wand back into the bag Harry had supplied for me.

"Now, you will be reading Chapter Two of _Defensive Magical Theory."_

Hermione raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"I've already read it," Hermione said.

"Then read Chapter Three."

"I've read the whole book."

I stared. What a workaholic this girl was!

This stared a whole conversation about jinxes and counterjinxes. Professor Umbridge ended up taking five points from Gryffindor for starting a _debate! I couldn't believe this woman!_

That's when Harry started up.

"What for?" he demanded.

"_Harry_—!" Hermione began.

"She disrupted my class with a pointless discussion topic," Umbridge said coolly. She started talking about their previous teachers. It seems though go through one per year. "Only Professor Quirrell was a suitable teacher if you asked me! He would have _at least_ passed a Ministry inspection—"

"Yeah," Harry interjected loudly. Umbridge fell silent, staring. "Quirrell was _great_. Well, except that he had Lord Voldemort" —everyone flinched— "on the back of his head and attempted to kill me at the end of the school year."

No one spoke for a long while. Jake, Tobias, and I gaped openly. Ax was able to retain a barely-controlled calm expression.

"Haven't I told you not to tell lies, Mr. Potter? That will be another week's detention." Umbridge said tartly.

Fuming, Harry sank back in his seat. He rubbed the back of his right hand. I caught a glimpse of something that looked uncannily like "I must not tell lies" engraved in the back of his hand.

I needed no more to guess that this Dolores Umbridge was out of her mind.

~*~

"So, how was your first day?" asked Harry with fake cheer.

"I thought it was interesting," Cassie said brightly. She had over enjoyed the whole Hogwarts experience. Of course, she hadn't witnessed Harry in Dark Arts class.

She had, however, been in Professor McGonagall's class, where Umbridge had met her downfall.

Man, had that been _sweet_.

"Interesting…" Jake said, looking thoughtful.

"Well, I'm off," Harry said, getting to his feet with a grunt. "I'm due at Umbridge's office for my detention." He unconsciously rubbed the back of his hand.

"See you," I said.

"'Bye," he said gloomily, trudging off.

Once he was out of earshot, Jake said, "Someone's going to go watch him in detention."

We all nodded in agreement. "Who?" I asked.

One by one, all heads turned to look at me.

"_Nooo_," I said, backing away. "I've had enough of today. Why _me_?"

"Because you are good at getting in and out of things without trouble," Jake said casually.

"Are you calling me sneaky?" I demanded.

"Yeah," Rachel said with a grin.

"I wasn't asking _you_, my lovely Xena."

She hit me. Hard.

"All right! _All right_! I'll go. Jeesh…" I whined, rubbing my arm. "What morph will I be using, Jake, old pal?"

He shrugged. "I don't know… definitely not fly. The school is way too big."

I nodded in agreement. "How about a dog?"

"Have you seen a dog walking around the school, Marco?"

"Uh… no."

"There's your answer."

            We sat in silence for a long while.

            "How about a mouse?" Cassie suggested.

            "Are you _insane? I mean, didn't you see all the owls and cats? I'll be road kill!"_

            "Do you have any other ideas?" Jake demanded.

            I stuttered, "Uuuh… no."

            Jake said nothing, but gave me a scathing look I sighed. "Fine," I said dejectedly.

            "Be _careful," he said firmly._

            "Yes, _Dad," I retorted. I focused on the mouse DNA inside me. This morph made me grin, because I had used it to wreck some girl's pool party because she hadn't invited me to it._

            POP! POP! POPPOPPOP! Fur sprouted all over my body. 

            SPROOT! My face elongated, as if someone had taken my nose and just _pulled_.

            My ears crawled up the side of my head and stopped on top, my flesh stretching thin and flexible. That was when I started to shrink. It felt like I had just jumped off the Empire State building! The ground rushed up at me, until it was centimeters away from my face.

            CRRRACK! My backbone shifted, forcing me down to all fours. It stretched, forming a pink hairless tail. My fingers and toes extended too, making them thin and long. My two front teeth slid down past my chin. Whiskers popped out of the side of my nose.

            My sense of smell increased by a tenfold. My eyesight dimmed, but it wasn't as bad as insect-o-vision.

            Then, the instincts hit.

            _Run, run, RUN! My mind hollered. I squeaked in fear and darted to the left. A giant foot came down in front of me, blocking my path!_

            _Trapped!_

            "Marco!" bellowed an impossibly loud voice from above, "Get hold of yourself!"

            I froze. Human memories flooded the mouse's instincts. I was Marco, the cute boy from America. I was Marco the Animorph.

             I shook my head roughly. Sorry, guys, I said, nose twitching, I kinda lost myself there.

            Jake picked me up and brought me to the Chamber entrance. "Good luck," he said, and turned me loose.

            I quickly zoomed out of the bathroom and down the hall. I stopped when I came to the staircase. The walls and their pictures were dim. This is when I realized I didn't know where I was. I could see, but my eyesight wasn't great.

            Oh, _great, I moaned._

            I scuttled up the stairs and down various corridors. After an hour or so, I ran into my first cat.

            Seriously, I nearly had a heart attack. Believe me, when you're a mouse and you run into a huge ginger cat, you do not take this lightly.

            I was too scared to move as its huge yellow eyes watched me. It gave me a look that said, quite plainly, _You're not a mouse._

            Erm… _nice kitty, I said in private thought-speak, slowly backing away._

            The cat made a weird noise that could have been a sneeze or a laugh. _There is no need to worry, little one, if you tell me what you are._

            That's when, I realized with a start, it was _talking_ to me.

            Uh—uh—I'm human.

            The cat laughed again. Its eyes flashed in the moonlight. _I noticed _that_._

My name is Marco. I managed.

            _And I am called Crookshanks_, the cat replied, closing its eyes and flaring its nostrils. _The things humans come up with._

            At least your name isn't Pussy-Doodles or something. I pointed out.

            Crookshanks opened his eyes and stared at me. _Do not irritate me, human, for at the moment I am larger than you._

            I realized, I squeaked.

            _What is it that you are doing here? _He asked.

            Um… looking for Harry. My friends and I have noticed that he's getting hurt in detention. I'm trying to see what that idiot Umbridge is doing to him.

            _Aaah, yes. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. She's a piece of work, now, isn't she? She is quite the imbecile. _He stretched and yawned, revealing teeth the size of my arms. I shuddered involuntarily.

            _You are lost, are you not? _He asked suddenly.

            Yeah, I said before I could think.

            He smoothly got to his feet. _Follow me_.

            I didn't argue. He led me in the total opposite direction I had been going in, which made me feel like an idiot. After about fifteen minutes, I spotted an apparently empty classroom.

            Hold on, I said, I have to become human again, or I'll get stuck.

            _Interesting,_ Crookshanks said plaintively.

            I demorphed and remorphed under the watchful eye of the ugly ginger cat. Once I was a mouse again, he said, _That was a strange way of transforming. When I watch Minerva become feline, it is much quicker and smoother._

            Minerva? I asked.

            _You probably know her as "Professor McGonagall". _Crookshanks said.

            _Ooooh_, I said knowingly.

            He stopped before a closed door. A ray of candlelight filtered out of the crack beneath the door. _I must leave you here_, Crookshanks said. _Norris does not like it when I talk to mice. She finds them below us. I actually find them quite knowledgeable, and enjoy talking with them before I dine._

            I jumped back from him and he laughed. _I do not eat transformed humans, so you need not worry. You are, after all, constructive. My owner, Hermione, feeds me regularly. Though you cannot speak unless in a transformed state, you have your uses._

            I'll remember that, I said weakly. He swished his tail back and forth for a moment, watching me, but then turned and left.

            I squeezed through the crack between the floor and door. I was able to hear the scratch of a quill and the occasional rustle of robes. The stench of sweat and blood filled my nostrils.

            I scrambled up the leg of a desk. There, I had a great view of Harry. He held a sharp, black quill in his hand. I glanced around the desk for an inkbottle and found none. He was sweating visibly. Blood ran down his wrist and soaked the cuff of his robes. I stared in horror.

            With effort, he scrawled, "I must not tell lies."

            The words cut deep into the back of his hand as he wrote, causing blood to flow more freely. They healed over, but not very well.

            This continued for the next hour, according to Harry's watch. That's when_ she _noticed me.

            "Mouse!" she shrieked in her girly, high-pitched voice.

            Harry gave a start, blinked, and looked around. He wiped his forehead with his sleeve, smearing blood. He scowled and wiped it off with his other, blood-free sleeve.

            "Mouse!" Umbridge screeched again. She took out her wand and aimed it…

            _Straight at me_!

            I dodged not a second too soon. The desk I had been on blew apart. Harry ducked the flying debris, covering his head with his arm.

            Yikes! I said.

            Harry realized I was an Animorph as soon as the thought left my mind. He pulled out his wand, pointed it at me, and hissed through his teeth, "Make it look _convincing_!" He yelled some made-up word. Sparks flew out of the wand and grazed my fur. I immediately keeled over and held my breath.

            "Get rid of it!" Umbridge shrilled hysterically.

            Harry scooped me up in his hand, getting blood all over my fur, and dumped me outside. "You'd better run for it," he whispered, "Mrs. Norris or Crookshanks could be roaming the school. Tell Jake that I don't appreciate being spied on."

            He turned on heel and went back to his detention. Oops, I said.

            Crookshanks padded down the hall, and said, amused, _She caught you._

            Ha, ha, ha, I said dryly, Thank you, Einstein.

            He extended his claws, making them longer and more menacing. _Remember, human…_

            All right, all right, I mumbled. Could you take me back to Moaning Myrtle's?

            _It would be my pleasure_, he said.

            We walked in silence for a bit, in which time I went over my life and what I was doing at the moment. I was walking down the halls of a wizarding school as a mouse with a talking cat. Jeez, just when you think life has reached maximum weirdness…

            _Did she injure you? _Crookshanks asked unconcernedly.

            No, I said, shaking myself to free myself of blood. It didn't work, for it had dried to my fur.

            _Then tell me what happened, _he said, sounded exasperated.

            Oh! Oh, right. She saw me and screamed. She tried to blow me up, but I jumped off the desk. Harry pretended to kill me and picked me up with his bloody hand. That's where the blood came from.

            _Humans_, Crookshanks said with a snort, _They love their precious knowledge and don't bother to put it to use._

            I rolled my beady eyes. By then, we had reached the bathroom. I scuttled inside and started to demorph. I clutched the floor in melting finger/claws. When I was human enough to speak, I said through shifting teeth and tongue, "Shanks, Crook—!"

            I was cut off abruptly as I lost the claws that held me up. I slid down the pipe and hurried to tell Jake all that I had seen.

            And I had the eerie feeling I had seen too much.

**A/N: Muahahaha! I didn't take a month and a half this time! Anywho, I hoped you liked it. I actually loved this chapter, especially its title. ^_^ I love the chapter title! ::coughs:: I also hoped you liked the excerpt from my original story too. This is a pretty long chapter, all considering…**

**To answer a question asked (sorry, I've forgotten your name and can't find it at the moment), Harry wouldn't use the Imperious Curse on Ron's Yeerk. Why, you ask? Because you have to _mean_ an Unforgivable Curse when you say it (see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for more). If Harry couldn't use one on the person-who-dies's murderer, I'm pretty sure he couldn't do it on his best friend.**

**If anyone else has any more questions, don't hesitate to ask!**


	19. Morphing Magic: Hermione

Chapter 19

Morphing Magic (Hermione)

            My name is Hermione Granger.

            Harry came back from detention sweating profusely. Blood trailed down his wrist from the cut in the back of his hand. I clucked my tongue sympathetically and pushed a bowl of the Soothing Solution towards him. "This'll help."

            "Thanks," he said, dipping his hand in it.

            Ron stretched and yawned. "I'm going to bed," he said, rising and scratching his side. I shrugged. He trailed off to bed and disappeared into the dormitory, leaving Harry and me alone in the common room.

            Harry looked around the room, double-checking that we were alone. He stood quickly and dragged me off my armchair. I squeaked in surprise and protest. He put a finger to his lips and brought me to a dark corner.

            "Hermione," he began, "I have to tell you something."

            "What is it? Does it have to do with Voldemort?" I demanded. 

            He shook his head. "The Animorphs—"

            "What'd they do?"

            "Nothing. Well, something. Hermione, they gave me the power to morph."

            My mouth dropped open in disbelief. After a few moments of silence, I said, "Very funny."

            "I'm _not_ kidding," he said. "Watch."

            He closed his eyes lightly. His skin rippled and sprouted ginger fur, making me cry out in shock. His eyes snapped open to reveal yellow, cat-like eyes. He clapped a hand to my mouth. The hand shifted and claws formed. His ears slid up the sides of his face and stretched. His nose turned pink and whiskers sprouted. His teeth grew large and sharp.

            The hand fell away when, with a loud cracking noise, he fell to all fours and shrunk. Within moments, he was an exact replica of Crookshanks.

            With a gasp, I staggered backward and fell into an armchair. Crookshanks—or rather, Harry—padded over to me. As I hope you can see, I'm not lying. he said.

            I touched my temples in the shock of hearing his voice in my head. He sat in front of me, tail twitching. It's thought-speak. I can talk to you with my mind.

            "Holy hippogriffs," I finally uttered. 

            I could have sworn he smiled. I know. Now, we have to get down to the Chamber of Secrets. I think they're expecting me. Go get the cloak.

            I ran upstairs and fetched the Invisibility Cloak. C'mon, let's go, he said, and darted out when I opened the portrait hole.

            The Fat Lady squawked her indignation at being woken at such an hour. "Bad cat," she scolded Harry as he zipped down the hall, and I had to bite back a nervous laugh.

            Harry had all ready demorphed when I got to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and the Chamber was open. He took the cloak from me and dived down. I followed.

            He opened all those secret passageways that led to the Chamber itself. Inside, the Animorphs were all lying on the ground, sleeping.

            He nudged Jake awake with his foot. Jake was immediately awake, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What's the matter?" he asked hoarsely.

            "Sorry about waking you up," Harry said, carefully hiding his blood-soaked sleeve behind his back, "It's just the only time I could come down."

            "As a matter of fact," Jake said, getting to his feet. He seemed not to have noticed me. "I needed to talk to you about these detentions Marco has been telling me about." He grabbed Harry's arm and took it out into view, examining the deep cut. The Soothing Solution had done a lot of good, for it was all ready healing over. "How could you let her do that to you?"

            "You don't understand," Harry said gruffly, "I can't. If I show her I've let this break my spirits, she'll think I'm weak. I can't go running to McGonagall, or Dumbledore. She'll only sack them."

            I stepped into the wand light. "It's true. Telling will only make it worse," I said.  

            Jake stared at me. "What are you doing here?" he asked, not unkindly.

            "Harry took me." I said feebly.

            He turned to Harry. "Why?"

            Harry took a deep breath. "I think we should give her the morphing power."

            No one said anything for a full three minutes.

            "Why should we?" asked a voice in the dark, nearly giving me a heart attack.

            Rachel slid into the light. She was tired and disheveled, and the long shadows thrown on her face didn't help. I couldn't help but shudder and put my hand on my wand.

            "I trust her," Harry said, "I know we can trust her. She's loyal, and clever, and brave. She knows all kinds of useful spells and potions. I know she'd die for me. I would for her." He glowered at them, daring them to argue.

            A felt a flush spread onto my cheeks. I don't think I was embarrassed… At least, I didn't feel embarrassed. I actually felt… pleased.

            "Well, I guess if Harry thinks she's okay…" Jake began, faltering. "I think I need to talk to the others about this."

            "There's no need," Marco said, stepping into the light, grinning. "I know Bird-Boy and Ax-man are definitely awake. I know _I_ am, because my back hurts too much for this to be a dream. In fact, all of me hurts too much. I'm pretty sure Cassie's awake, too. Aaah! Rachel, my darling, aren't you looking radiant this evening?"

            Rachel growled deep in his throat like Sirius does when he's a dog. I backed up a pace.

            There was a clip-clopping sound and Ax appeared with Tobias on his shoulder. You are correct in assuming Tobias and I are awake. he said.

            Cassie did too, looking ashamed at herself. I guess she doesn't like eavesdropping on people.

            "Should we accept her as an Animorph?" Jake asked thoughtfully.

            "I—I think we should," Cassie volunteered, voice quavering.

            Jake looked as if he didn't doubt her, for which I was grateful.

            "Then I am too," Rachel said, rubbing her eyes.

            Ax turned his head toward Jake, who nodded. Tobias did the same. Though I couldn't hear what was being said, I could tell they were talking.

            Marco sidled over to Jake and whispered in his ear, looking me up and down.

            Well, this was it. The votes were in.

            Jake closed his eyes and thought for a long while. Then he opened them and looked at me. "The most of us are in favor of letting Hermione get the morphing power," he said finally.

            Harry grinned but quickly hid it. "To Hogsmead, then!" he cheered.

            "Hogsmead? Why Hogsmead?" I asked, totally lost.

            He grinned even wider and shook his head. "And I thought you were the one to quote _Hogwarts, a History_! Technology doesn't work at Hogwarts!"

            I beamed. "You've finally gotten it. Now, I'm not sure about Ron, but you've _gotten it_!"

            Marco coughed. "Can we get going? It's really late out, and we all have school tomorrow."

            I gasped. "School! I hadn't even thought—"

            "Let's just get this over with," Rachel growled.

            The next thing I knew, I was in the cellar of Honeydukes. I don't know how long it took, but we were there.

            Jake took a cube out of his backpack and held it on the flat of his palm. It glowed faintly in the dark cellar. Unfamiliar writing that I haven't even learned in Ancient Runes yet was all over its sides.

            "Put your hand on the side," Jake said, and I did.

            At once, I felt a tingling sensation in every part of my body. I couldn't feel my fingers or my toes. My head pounded and my ears rang. I suddenly couldn't see as my eyes slid out of focus. My jaw slackened. I half-closed my eyes.

            "Hermione!" Harry called in a very far-away voice. He shook me by the shoulders, which made me come to.

            I squeaked. "Was that supposed to happen?" I shrilled.

            A thud from upstairs made us all freeze. "I think there's someone down there!" a female voice said.

            Quickly and quietly, we all darted back into the secret passageway. As we ran back, laughing with our relief of not getting caught, I came to realize that this was not just a dream. This was really happening. This was _reality_, however strange it seemed.

            I could become any animal I touched!

**A/N: Hobey-ho! Sorry this took so long! I've been working on another story, "The Book of Adventures", which is really fun. Please, please, please, _PLEASE read it and review! It's a Harry Potter story. Most likely, if you like this, you'll like that one. Remember: "The Book of Adventures" by Hyper-HpGrl. Got that? Good! _**

**Anywho, to answer a question asked, yes, all magical creatures can talk. Mind you, _only_ magical creatures. _Not regular ones. Stick around for my next chapter, "Chapter 20: School Crushes (Rachel)" ::cackles evilly:: Can you even begin to guess what that's about?_**


	20. Malfoy Crushed: Rachel

Chapter 20 Malfoy Crushed (Rachel) 

            My name is Rachel.

            Learning at Hogwarts was extremely different than what I'm used to over at my usual high school. I mean, sure, there were a lot of differences, but the biggest one was that I was actually having _fun_!

            I hummed to myself as I traveled down the many corridors to Potions. This class had particularly intrigued me. I never liked home ec, but this sounded interesting. Slytherin had the class with Gryffindor, which relieved me. Jake, Marco, Tobias, Harry, and Hermione were in that class. Ron the Controller was with them.

            It was cold down in the dungeons. I shivered in my robes. I didn't care that it was a "warm" autumn, I was still cold! I _hate_ being cold.

            The others were there when I got to the classroom. I grinned and started over to them, but Harry and Hermione shook their heads violently. I gave them a puzzled look.

            "Slytherins and Gryffindors," Harry mouthed, glancing over to the other side of the room. I followed his gaze. A bunch of mean-looking people sat over in the corner. They all had the Slytherin crest on their robes. I recognized one as Malfoy, the one that had made Harry go berserk.

            He smiled lazily and leaned back on his chair. He jerked his head at the empty seat next to him. Scowling, I sat down in it, as it was the only seat left on the Slytherin side of the classroom. I had the eerie feeling that he had arranged it like that.

            "Hello," he said smoothly as I sat down. I recognized the voice he was using as the one Marco always slid into when he was talking to a girl. I flared my nostrils and started taking things out of my bag, ignoring him.

            "The name's Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." He said, bending down to help.

            "We've met," I snarled, yanking my bag away.

            "We have? I'm sure I would have recognized such a face." He replied smoothly.

            I bit my tongue and didn't retort, though it took all my self-control not to. I set to going through a book, as if I were actually looking for something.

            "Oh," Malfoy said after a little while, "You're the one I saw with the other Houses!"

            "Yes? Is there a problem with that?" I demanded, nearly slamming my book down on my desk.

            "Well, we Slytherins don't hang around with that riffraff," he said with a shrug. Then he glared at Harry. "_Especially not Harry Potter and his friends. You __know that My Lord is going to get him eventually. He's just been lucky these past few times. No one that pompous will survive Master's wrath."_

            I narrowed my eyes and was about to say something when I caught the look on Jake's face. He shook his head slightly and looked at Malfoy. It took me a few minutes to realize that he wanted me to get Malfoy to spill everything.

            Which meant I had to act like a regular mall rat.

            "Yes, I see," I said slowly. "I'm sorry about before. I should have realized I was working with the loosing side." I edged closer to him. I leaned onto the desk with my elbows and looked at him through my eyelashes. "Go on."

            Malfoy looked very smug at having "won" me over. "Potter has always strut around the school like a jerk," he continued, "As if he could escape My Lord's wrath unscathed! He has it coming to him. Master has allied himself to a powerful force. He plans to use them to get at Harry Potter once and for all! They're called—"

            Just then, the teacher strode into the room. I swore bitterly under my breath. I had gotten so close to having him slip!

            I raised my eyebrows when I saw the teacher. He looked about forty. He had long, greasy black hair. He was dressed in all black and had cold black eyes. I think Harry had mentioned him before… his name was Snape.

            Snape glared at Harry, lips stretching into a bloodless line. Harry glowered back. Snape's lip curled and he moved on to start the class. We were working on a potion today that was going to be in our O.W.L.s.

            Whatever that was.

            During the class, Malfoy did all he could to strike up a conversation with him. I only gave him one-word answers, usually, with a blank smile.

            Let him think I was stupid.

            Harry and Snape got into a glaring contest. They just kind of sat there, staring at each other. Seriously, they didn't blink. Harry finally tore his eyes away to do his Sickening Solution.

            "And—and Potter," Malfoy gasped, flicking a tear of mirth from his eye, "was t-twirling around on his b-broom as if he were doing b-ballet! So—so I yelled, 'Hey, Potter! Are you training for the ballet?'"

            "Who won the match?" I asked.

            His smile faltered. "He did. You can be a killjoy, you know."

            "Yes. I _do know."_

            We stopped talking because Snape had glided over to our table. I busied myself with my cauldron, glancing up every now and then. I wasn't very far into the solution, and the class was almost over.

            "Excellent, Mister Malfoy. Yours too… I don't believe I've seen you before, girl."

            "I—I've just transferred from… Drumstang."

            "_Drumstang?" Snape asked, raising an eyebrow, "Don't you mean, Durmstrang, dear girl?"_

            I mentally kicked myself. "Yes, yes, of course. I'm Samantha Smith, sir." 

            "Well, Miss Smith, your Sickness Solution is wonderful. Now, Crabbe…" he moved on, but I could see suspicion glint in his eyes.

            "You're from Durmstrang?" asked Malfoy with interest.

            I nodded and shrugged.

            "My father considered sending me there… but my mother thought it was too far away."

            "Aaah." I said, raising my eyebrows.

            The rest of the day went without further incident. Just as I was leaving the Great Hall after dinner, Harry stopped me. "I think Snape is on to you," he said, glancing around to make sure no one was watching.

            "Huh?"

            "Didn't you see the way he looked at you in Potions? No, never mind. Well, I think you're going to have to go to the Slytherin common room tonight. Just in case he might come in and check that your there."

            "How will I demorph?" I hissed.

            He shrugged. "Say what you do in class: you have to go to the bathroom. I'm sure Malfoy will give you the password if you ask."

            I nodded and moved away to find Malfoy. I found him and tagged along to the common room. He stopped in front of a wall, cleared his throat, and said, "Basilisk."

            The wall slid open and, lo and behold, there was the Slytherin common room.

            It was a very drab room. Green banners hung from the walls and the place was filled with mold-green chairs and sofas. It _smelled _in here and, to make it all worse, it was _colder_ than the dungeons!

            We spent the evening playing wizard chess (I like this much, much better than normal chess!), with me getting up and demorphing every hour and a half or so. Being a wizard was cool, but I didn't want to be a _nothlit_.

            As Harry had predicted, Snape did come in. He saw Malfoy and me playing chess, scowled, and left. I sighed in relief and only caught the last of what Malfoy was saying.

            "—and our next target is Harry Potter."

            I blanched. "What?" I demanded.

            He frowned, looked around, and leaned over the chessboard. I leaned in too. His lips tickled my ear as he said, "My Lord has allied with the Yeerks, parasites that control your body by slipping into your ear and latching onto your brain. Our next target is Harry Potter, and so is theirs. They said that, once they are finished with him, Master can do whatever he wants with him."

            "Why?" I whispered, my heart accelerating its normal beat.

            "He has a big influence on the wizard world," he replied, "He can lure even more powerful wizards and witches into our grasp. They will all be in My Lord's power. The world has come to a new era, Samantha. Earth is ours."

            I stood quickly. "I'm tired, Draco," I said, turning sharply. "Goodnight."

            Malfoy smirked and blew me a kiss. "Goodnight."

            I walked quickly up the stairs to the girl's dormitory. When I looked over my shoulder and looked at Malfoy, I swear I saw him look extremely relieved. This look changed quickly back into its usual smugness.

            I demorphed and morphed mouse. As I darted out of the common room, I saw him smile at me.

            My heart froze. Did he know?

            I ran for the Chamber of Secrets. I had to tell everyone what I just heard!

A/N: Yuck! Ew! Ick! This chapter was horrible and short and it took too long! Ack! Forgive me! The next chapter will be long and an excellent read. I had no idea what to write about this chapter, and I was tired. Chapter 21 is all planned out and, hopefully, I won't be tired tomorrow.

Okay, I got a few questions and I'm gonna answer 'em! Why wouldn't a Controller be able to use magic? Well, it's just a theory, but I think people will agree: magic is more of the heart than the mind. I mean, when Harry is in a fix in the Prisoner of Azkaban, how else could his dad help him? James lives on in his heart, not his mind.

The second one was that Ax said an animal has to be alive to acquire it. Not to be rude, but I haven't exactly memorized all the books. I'm allowed a mistake or two. Besides, there's the whole magic factor. Maybe it's different with magical animals, like how they can talk to someone in a morphed state and regular animals can't. I mean, even K. A. Applegate made a mistake in that book! 

**The third: am I hinting at a Harry/Hermione romance? Hmmm… even if I was, even if I wasn't, would I tell you? Wouldn't this be a major influence on the plot? I could be all for a Ron/Hermione relationship, but I could also be more toward a Harry/Hermione one too. Heck, I could want a Harry/Ginny romance for all you know! I'll tell all when the story is finished with. ::wink wink:: **

**Now, about Tobias yelling when he sees the Basilisk… well, I think a 60-foot snake with a big ol' hole in its head would make anyone recoil. Harry, obviously, has seen it before so it doesn't startle him. Got me?**

**I hope I didn't let anything slip. Stick around for "Chapter 21: —" well, I'm not going to tell you the chapter title. Heh, heh, heh, the name would give it all away!**


	21. Sirius, Be Serious!: Harry

Chapter 21 Sirius, be Serious! (Harry) 

            My name is Harry Potter.

            I sincerely hoped Rachel was wrong, and Malfoy didn't know about her being an "Andalite bandit". If Malfoy knew… Well, I just didn't want to think about it.

            It was just Hermione, Ron, and I sitting in the common room late that evening, in our usual three armchairs in front of the fireplace. Ron was dozing lightly in his armchair. Hermione had her nose buried in her book, but she was blinking frequently. I stated at the fireplace, but I was falling asleep too.

            I think I nodded off eventually. It was Hermione's cry of dismay that jerked me from my sleep. I blinked sleepily and confusedly. Ron never came to, but remained snoring in his armchair.

            Sirius's head was sitting in the common room fire. I sat up straight in my seat and, after a few seconds, leapt to squat in front of the hearth.

            "Hello," Sirius said with a grin, "How are you doing, Harry?"

            "Um, fine, Sirius. Could you do me a favor?"

            "Anything, Harry."

            "Could you come through and see something?"

            Sirius's face brightened. "I thought you'd never ask!" he said, "Wait just one moment." He disappeared for a moment and reappeared suddenly, tumbling out of the fireplace. "What do you need me to see?"

            "It's not here," I said, glancing nervously at the staircase. "Listen, could you do a spell for me?"

            Frowning, Sirius pulled out a wand and did a spell. A mug of hot chocolate appeared, which he took from midair and took a sip of. "What's this got to do with anything?"

            I shook my head. "Not now. Can you turn into a dog for a moment? I have to go grab the Invisibility Cloak," I said, turning and running up the stairs. I grabbed it and flew down the stairs. By the time I got back down, he was a dog, grinning and panting with his tongue hanging out.

            "Hermione, come under here with me. Sirius, can you follow us when we're under the cloak?"

            He nodded.

            I threw the cloak over Hermione and me and left the common room. Sirius followed, nose quivering. Mrs. Norris caught Sirius once, but I think he must have said something to her and she padded away.

            He stopped and gave a low bark when we went into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. I took off the Cloak and beckoned for him to follow. He did so, but grudgingly. I folded the Cloak and hid it in a stall.

            Sirius became a man again. "What are we doing?" he hissed.

            "I have to show you something," I repeated. I turned to the sink, found the snake engraved into the handle, and hissed, "_Open_."

            The sink slid away, leaving the portal to the Chamber of Secrets. Sirius jumped back, shocked, and stared at me. "We have to go to the Chamber of Secrets," I explained, "There's someone I need you to meet."

            "Down there?" Sirius asked.

            "Down there," I confirmed. I turned and jumped down the pipe. I heard two thuds as Sirius and Hermione followed. I lead them all to the Chamber itself.

            The Animorphs were awake when I arrived. "Hey, guys, there's someone I need you to meet—" I said, breaking off as Sirius entered the room. He looked around him with wide eyes, eyes roving over the giant Salazar Slytherin statue, the dead Basilisk, and finally at the Animorphs.

            "Harry, what's going on?" he demanded.

            "Sirius, meet the Animorphs," I said with a grin, pointing. "This is Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Marco, Ax, and Tobias. Animorphs, this is my godfather Sirius Black."

            "What is _that?" Sirius asked, pointing at Ax._

            Ax had his tail blade cocked and ready for action. None of the Animorphs moved. Finally, Ax said, _That happens to be an Andalite. I am Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill. My human friends call me Ax._

            Sirius gave a start when Ax spoke. He observed the six, as they did him.

            "Why did you bring him here, Harry?" Jake asked finally.

            "He can help," I said excitedly, "He's an Animagus—"

            "Harry!" Sirius yelped, "Don't _tell them! I—I'm not registered, first of all, and neither were James and Wormtail! Second of all, I'm an escaped convict from Azkaban!"_

            "Sirius, it's okay," I said, "They're friends. You see, they're fighting parasitic aliens that control your body by going through your ear. Voldemort" —Hermione flinched— "has allied with them. They're planning to get Hogwarts and then the world! They're special Animagi, though. They can become more than one animal."

            This was followed by a prolonged silence.

            "Harry," Sirius said, looking harassed, "How could you believe a story like this? You're smarter than that! Do you realize you've put us all, the Order of the Phoenix included, in trouble?"

            "No, no, it's not just a story! I've seen it with my own eyes!" I said, getting so frustrated I stomped my foot. "Hermione, you can vouch for me!"

            "T-they can," Hermione said slowly, "I've seen it."

            "Prove it," Sirius said, nostrils flared.

            "Could you, Jake?" I pleaded.

            Jake turned to Cassie. "You're an _Estreen, Cassie. I'm sure if Harry knows Sirius isn't a murderer or a Controller, he's right. Could you morph for him?"_

            Cassie nodded and stepped out from the shadows. She held Sirius's gaze. As she did so, a feather pattern zoomed down her skin. The feathers became real. Her mouth and nose converged and sprouted outward, forming a beak. Her fingers melted into feathers and her arms reshaped, making her a human with feathers and wings.

            Her eyes changed color and shape. She shrank. The skin on her legs became hard and scaly. Her toes came together to form three talons on each foot. Her bone structure changed. 

            When she finished, I held out my arm. She flew up and landed there. Hello, Mr. Black. My name is Cassie. I'm an Animorph. Cassie said sweetly in thought-speak.

            Sirius stared. He reached over to stroke her feathered head and said, "May I?"

            Yes.

            He ran his fingers over her head. "Can you really become more than one animal?" he asked.

            She nodded, fluttered to the ground, and demorphed. She remorphed to wolf, demorphed, and became a fly. When she demorphed for the last time, I was sure my godfather was convinced.

            "Sirius, could you transform and show them you can too?" I asked. He nodded weakly. With a little "pop" he became the big black dog I had mistaken for a grim in third year. The Animorphs gasped, surprised at such a quick transformation.

            I absently scratched him behind the ears. He looked up at me, panting, his tongue lolling. Once I had put my hand back at my side, he became human again. He looked down at me and said, "Now, explain."

            And I did.

            "Oh, Harry," he murmured when I finished, "Why didn't you tell me before?"

            "I didn't know if you were a Controller or not."

            Sirius's lips stretched into a thin line. "I haven't been out of my house since the Triwizard Tournament."

            "Um… Mr. Black?" Cassie asked timidly.

            Sirius blinked at being addressed like this. "Call me Sirius." He paused, then added thoughtfully, "Or Padfoot, even. Please don't call me Mr. Black. It brings back memories of sixth year detention."

            "Did you really commit that murder?"

            Sirius's nostrils flared. "No. I was framed. I was supposed to be Lily and James's—I mean, Mr. and Mrs. Potter's—Secret-Keeper. Instead, I told them to use my friend Peter Pettigrew. It turns out he was Voldemort's spy. He betrayed them. Voldemort came and murdered Harry's parents. I cornered him on a street full of muggles—non-magic people—to kill him for what he did." 

He paused, smiling regretfully. "He yelled for the whole street to hear that I had betrayed Lily and James and cut his finger off. Then he blew up half the street, killing thirteen people, and transformed into a rat. He scrambled down into the sewer and was considered dead."

            He sighed. "We were never registered as Animagi, which is both a good and bad thing. No one would have believed me if I said he had become a rat and escaped. But I escaped from Azkaban by becoming a dog."

            "S-so… you were framed?" Cassie repeated.

            He nodded solemnly.

            "Why did you become unregistered Animagi?" asked Marco.

            Sirius looked dreamy for a moment. He smiled and closed his eyes. "One of my best friends is a werewolf. We became Animagi so that we could run around with him under the full moon. It helped him somehow. It was all James's idea. It took five years, but we did it."

            "You said something about sixth year detention… why? Did you spend the whole year in detention something?"

            Sirius laughed. "I did, actually. James, Remus, and I were masters of the prank. I remember when we turned McGonagall's hair blue with her own Color-Changing Charm. No one would tell her about it, but she found out eventually. We got two months of detention for that. Then there was there was the time enchanted the snow outside the castle to pelt any Slytherin that walked out. Oh, and there was also the time—"

            I cut him off with, "Sirius, be serious!" Once the words left my mouth, I realized how incredibly stupid this sounded.

            "But I _am Sirius," Sirius said with a wide grin._

            Marco looked at Sirius with wide eyes. "Sirius Black, you are my new idol."

            Sirius looked rather surprised at this, but then roared with laughter. Everyone laughed. I hadn't heard Sirius laugh like that before.

            Once we had calmed down, I asked Sirius, "Could you test the Order of the Phoenix to see if we've been infiltrated?"

            He nodded, giving me a dog-like grin.

            I pulled back my sleeve and looked at my watch. It was three in the morning, and if I didn't get back soon I'd have no sleep for class. "Holy hippogriffs! We have to get back!"

            We rushed back to the common room. Sirius left the same way he came: the fireplace. He said goodbye with the promise of secrecy. Hermione went up to the girls' dormitory with a yawn and goodnight. I quickly put my Cloak away and went back to the common room.

            Ron was still asleep on his armchair. I shook him awake. "Ron," I whispered, "Ron."

            He grunted and woke up. He blinked sleepily at me. "What time is it?"

            "Three in the morning. We all fell asleep." I lied.

            He stretched. "Oh."

            We walked up to the dormitory. When I got into the room, Seamus, Dean, and Neville were all awake and dressed. I raised my eyebrows. "Uuuh… hi. What are you all doing?"

            "It's time you found out what's causing this illness."

            Ron said this from behind me. He grabbed my arms before I could do anything. I jerked and tried to get away. The other three advanced on me. "Guys, this isn't funny," I said, my heart racing.

            "You're right," Neville said with a grin that held no warmth, "It isn't."

            My scar suddenly exploded with pain. I yelled. My knees buckled and gave way. Seamus hurriedly stuffed a gag in my mouth, but I could hardly feel it the pain in my head was so violent. Then I knew something that nearly made my heart stop: Voldemort was pleased.

            I was dimly aware of being shoved to my feet. When the pain finally died away, I was being forced down the corridor. I struggled, but to no avail.

            They shoved me and pulled me down many flights of stairs. We were going deeper than I had ever been in the school before. When we stopped, I knew we were maybe miles below the school. All thoughts stopped, though, when we entered the _room._

            We were high up, so I could see almost everything. The room was huge, probably the width of the school. There was a huge pool filled with gray sludge in the middle of the room. Cages lined the walls and people filled them: people I knew. Alien species I had never seen before filled the room. People, my schoolmates, were being forced onto a loading pier.

            Then I knew this was the Yeerk pool.

            Screams filled my ears. Threats, pleads, cries of sorrow reverberated through the room. The worst were the people who sat and stared blankly at the wall, defeated. 

            I watched in horror as Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, was dragged to the pier. He struggled against the seven-foot-tall, bladed creatures that held him captive. "I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!" He screamed. They kicked his legs out from underneath him.

            "NO! NO! NOT AGAIN! YOU CAN'T—"

            His screech was cut short as a Yeerk crawled his ear. The bladed aliens let go and he calmly stood up, fixing his robes. He left the pier.

            It was the most horrible thing I had ever seen.

            "C'mon," grunted Dean, shoving me.

            Ron suddenly stumbled. He yelled, his face furious and determined and horrified at the same time. "NO!" exploded from his lips. I knew then that that was the _real _Ron. He staggered and fell, screaming, off the stairs leading down to the Yeerk pool.

            "RON!" I yelled, horror-struck.

            "Get moving," Dean snarled, kicking me. I moved, looking blank. Had the fall killed him?

            We stopped in front of an Andalite. He looked like Ax, but older. The… aura, I guess, that radiated from him was totally different and could only be described with one word: evil.

            Aaah… it said, fixing all four eyes on me, So this is the famous Harry Potter.

            I spat at his feet and he laughed.

            Yes, a defiant little thing. Lord Voldemort told me to expect this. I am Visser Three, Harry, and I am going to be your new master.

            "No one will ever be my master," I snarled. My wand was in my pocket. I strained to get at it… it was only inches away…

            Stop him! Visser Three roared, Disarm him!

            I cringed and expected an "_Expelliarmus" to come flying my way. It never came, but I felt my wand slide out of my pocket. I stared at it. It was my only protection and it had been taken away._

            Have him infested. the Visser said.

            Dean, Seamus, and Neville handed me over to the bladed aliens. My eyes widened. I struggled harder than ever, but there was no escape for me; they were too strong.

            They brought me to the pier. Every fiber in my body was hoping Dumbledore would come, or Hermione, or the Animorphs… or someone.

            They kicked my legs out from under me, making my knees throb as I landed on hard metal. My head fell forward. I rolled away while I had the chance, but they grabbed me and held me down. They pressed my head into the sludge. I closed my eyes. They couldn't make me beg. Not in a thousand years.

            I felt something crawl into my ear. I held my breath. I felt pain as it squeezed into my ear but then it numbed. I was suddenly aware that I couldn't move my arms and legs. My eyes opened and focused, but I didn't do it.

            This had to be a horrible dream. This had to be a _nightmare_!

            "No!" I screamed, but the words never left my lips.

            Hello, Harry Potter, said the Yeerk in my head, sounding uncomfortable, I'm Erllon 658.

            He got me to my feet. "Get out of my head," I demanded.

            I wish I could, he said. I usually only take voluntary hosts. I'm sorry. I couldn't refuse you, because you'd be a big help in the Yeerk Peace Movement.

            "Oh, great," I moaned. I wanted to sit down and put my face in my hands. "Not only do I have my free will taken away, I also get my magic taken away too!" I paused a moment, and then realized something with horror. "I can't play Quidditch anymore!"

            Quidditch? Erllon asked. He flipped through my memories as he walked out of the Yeerk pool. He watched all my Quidditch matches with amazement. Wow! You're quite the player, aren't you?

            "I was," I retorted, "But, unfortunately, I can't control my body now."

            I said I was sorry, he said, sounded awkward. Dean tossed him my wand. Erllon caught it, looking a little surprised when he caught it easily with my Seeker reflexes.

            He continued to flip through my memories. He went so fast I caught only glimpses: Dudley beating me up, Diagon Alley, the Sorting Hat, my first Quidditch match, the Sorcerer's Stone, Voldemort and Quirrell, and Dumbledore explaining to me.

He quickly moved onto second year: Dobby's warning, the voice in the walls, the writing on the wall, the bones in my arm disappearing, Nearly Headless Nick petrified, Hermione petrified, Aragog, fighting the Basilisk, Dumbledore explaining.

Then third year: blowing up Aunt Marge, seeing Sirius for the first time, the Knight Bus, Diagon Alley, Dementors, Professor Lupin…

And so he continued.

            I wanted someone to help. Someone… anyone…

            I screamed a scream that never left my lips.

            I was a prisoner in my own mind!

**A/N: See what I can do if I can really set my mind to something? This has got to be my best chapter, and maybe my longest. Sorry to leave you hanging like this, but it's getting too long and I have to take my contacts out. Heh, everything is fuzzy if I stare at it too long… like the computer screen! Plus, I went into the pool today and I need a shower (yeah, a little _too much information). Heck, my clothes need a shower too, since I jumped in the pool with them on. ::thinks a moment:: I really _am_ insane. Well, stick around for the next chapter, which is told by Cassie but I don't know the title! Hobey-ho!_**


	22. Unforgettable Lessons: Cassie

Chapter 22 Unforgettable Lessons (Cassie) 

            My name is Cassie.

            Harry was acting strange the next day. He was constantly looking around. He always watched the other Animorphs and me nervously. He shied away from the other boys in his House.

            Ron wasn't in class today, which was strange, and Harry wouldn't tell me why.

            No one seemed to notice this change in Harry but me. As I walked to Care of Magical Creatures with him, I asked him what was wrong.

            He rubbed his scar. "Nothing, Cassie. I'm fine. It's just that…" —he lowered his voice— "_they make me nervous."_

            "Oh." I could understand that, but that wasn't the whole of it. I have a kind of instinct for these things.

            "Why are you coming to Care of Magical Creatures?" he asked.

            "Uuuh…" I said. It was then I realized I was supposed to be going to Herbology. The Gryffindors had Care of Magical Creatures with Slytherin, not Hufflepuff. 

            Harry grinned and pulled a spare Gryffindor crest out of his pocket. "I don't know the spell to attach it, but I bet Hermione does. You can be a Gryffindor for a day."

            I hurried over to Hermione, who smiled kindly and used a spell to cover up my Hufflepuff crest with the Gryffindor one. She yanked off my tie and gave me a spare Gryffindor one from her pocket. She told me the reason she kept it there was so she could change the one she was wearing if she got a potion all over it and that I could borrow it.

            When Harry was talking to Jake, I leaned over to her and whispered, "Do you notice the strange way Harry is acting?"

            Hermione frowned and bit her lip. She glanced around to make sure no one had heard and nodded. "I asked him where Ron was. He said he didn't know but I _know he does. I looked all over the common room and even in the Hospital Wing, but Ron wasn't there."_

            My heart started to pound. Visser Three hadn't _killed_ Ron…

            Had he?

            When we got to the class, Hagrid was there. He looked particularly cheerful today. A large sack was slung over his shoulder. He beamed at his students as they gathered around him.

            "We're going into the Forest today!" he said happily.

            There were many gasps of shock. I did it, too, just so I didn't look strange. I didn't know what was so bad about the Forbidden Forest (other than its name), but apparently everyone else did.

            I looked at Harry to see his reaction. His eyes were unfocused, as if he were thinking. They snapped back to normal, and he flared his nostrils.

            Hermione leaned over to me and whispered, "We've had previous… _experiences_ in the Forest."

            I nodded.

            Hagrid led us into the forest. After a while, I began to think he had gotten us all lost. Everyone was getting nervous. I must admit, my own stomach was churning. I had no idea what to expect, and Harry had told me of Hagrid's love of monsters.

            "Aaah, here we are!" he said, stopping suddenly. We were in a large clearing, but it was still pretty dark. "Now, I'm gonna call 'em, but I have this steak jus' in case." He explained, pulling an abnormally large stake from the snack. It looked larger than I had ever seen before. It was big enough to be dragon's meat! But dragons weren't real.

            Were they?

            He cupped his hands around his mouth and sounded some weird call. It would have been funny if I had known what was coming. 

            When I saw it, I nearly had a heart attack. I mean, I'm usually good with animals, but I had never seen the likes of this before.

            It seemed to be a horse with only flesh and bones. It had two bat-like wings. Its eyes were all white, which meant they should have been blind, but you could tell by the way it swung its head around that it could see. It was completely black. Its face looked like something out of a nightmare.

            "All right'," Hagrid said, "Who can see 'em?"

            Harry's hand shot up in the air, followed by Neville's, and a Slytherin boy's. All Animorphs present raised their hands. When Hagrid saw the number of hands, he looked troubled. "Eigh' in a class? Well, these are thestrals. Can anyone tell me why some can see 'em and others can'?"

            Hermione's hand shot up and stretched to its fullest extent. I bit back a smile. The corners of Hagrid's eyes crinkled into a smile. "Yes, Hermione?"

            "People who see thestrals have seen someone die." Hermione said, face flushed.

            "That's righ'. Ten poin's to Gryffindor." Hagrid said.

            Hagrid started to explain about the thestrals, but I wasn't paying attention. I sidled over to Jake. "You can see them?" I whispered.

            He nodded, face pale.

            Harry was looking relieved. "I thought I was mad when I saw the thestrals pulling the carriages to the school when no one else did."

            "You began seeing them this year? Why? Who did you see die?" Jake asked quietly, making sure no one overheard.

            Harry suddenly became very interested with dead leaves on the ground. His eyes hazed over again as he thought. "I was entered into a contest last year, the Triwizard Tournament…" he said slowly, eyes still unfocused, "At the last task, I was transported to a graveyard. Voldemort was reborn that night. He—he killed the boy I tied with, Cedric Diggory. That's when I dueled Voldemort and saw… I saw my Mom and Dad." He stopped, looking as if horrified he had let this slip.

            My eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Harry," I whispered. I put a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged away.

            "It's not that bad. They were only echoes that came out of his wand. They weren't real." He busied himself by boldly stepping forward and stroking the neck of one of the thestrals. 

            I looked down at my hand, frowning. When I had touched him, he had felt… strange. I can't really describe it. I frowned further and furrowed my brow. It was like he hadn't felt…

            I quickly grabbed Jake's hand. He looked shocked for a moment, but then gave me a perplexed glance. I felt something running just below the surface of his skin that wasn't his pulse… it was so slight I could barely feel it…

            I put the back of my hand against Seamus's arm, so that it looked like we were so close together that I couldn't stand without brushing him. The feeling I had felt when I touched Jake's hand wasn't there even remotely.

            My heart started to race. My mind was reeling. Beads of sweat dotted my forehead and eventually trickled down my cheeks, making me have to wipe them away quickly. It was cold out, so I shouldn't have been sweating.

            Jake shifted nervously. He could probably see my nerves were running high and that something was wrong, because he looked anxious. He shot me a questioning look, so I said, "Not now. Later."

            I licked my suddenly dry lips. I sincerely hoped I was wrong… that I was somehow incorrect…

            I moved forward and stroked the nearest thestral. It shuddered under my touch, but then calmed and let me run my hands along its back. I had a sudden idea.

            Since there were only few of us that could actually see the thestrals, I led it into the trees. Seamus and Dean stared at me like I had three heads. It then occurred to me that they couldn't see the thestral.

            Though I knew it was incredibly risky, I demorphed. The thestral watched and its nostrils flared at the changing scents. "Good thestral," I soothed, taking its face in my hands. My robes were now too big, so I had to roll back the sleeves. I closed my eyes and concentrated, absorbing the threstral's DNA into my bloodstream. It continued to stare at me through its white eyes.

            I quickly remorphed and went back to the class, whispering to Jake what I had just done. His eyes lit up. "Good idea," he mouthed, and went off to acquire one.

            The two of us slowly told the others. Harry didn't have to demorph to acquire them. I was actually a little nervous about him acquiring it. Hermione had all ready acquired it when I told her about it.

            By the end of the class, all of us had a thestral morph except Ax.

            "Thestrals can bring you anywhere you want to go," Hermione said as we walked from the class, "And they're incredibly fast."

            "Good," I said, bobbing my head in agreement.

            Harry opened the Chamber for us that evening, after dinner. He had much more difficulty with it than the day before. In fact, it looked as if he almost _couldn't_ pronounce the words in Parseltongue. He managed it eventually, and left with a flushed face. 

            We all went down to the Chamber, demorphed, and stashed out robes were they wouldn't get wet. It felt good to be in my own skin again. I felt so good that I almost forgot what I was going to tell Jake. Actually, I wouldn't have told him if he hadn't reminded me and that would have been a big mistake.

            We walked over to a corner when no one else was really paying attention. Jake took me by the shoulders and looked me in the eyes. He was a good head taller than me, so I had to tilt my head back slightly.

            "What's wrong, Cassie? You were really pale and sweaty in detention."

            "Jake…" I said, voice shaking, "I think Harry is a Controller."

A/N: Wow, am I surprised how fast I typed this one. Of course, I'm leaving you hanging again. Sorry 'bout that. I just can't help myself! ::coughs:: Anyhow, these chapters should be coming quite quickly now that I know what to write about. Sometimes, I just have to… type by ear.

**Someone asked about the Animorphs' wizarding appearances. I have a terrible memory and am sorry I can't remember your penname. Here they are:**

Jake shrunk about a foot. His nose lengthened. His hair turned the color of straw, like Rachel's. His pale skin browned a little. His eyes… I blinked. His eyes turned emerald green, just like mine. Just like my mother's. The muscles on his arms and legs toned a bit.

Marco sprouted like a bamboo shoot. He became pale, a real contrast with his Hispanic complexion. His brown eyes became baby blue. His hair changed from black to brown like Hermione's and stuck up in the back like mine. His nose flattened a little. His thin arms and legs became muscular.

Rachel stayed the same height. Her hair turned black as night, like mine, and crawled back into her scalp until it was shoulder height. Her blue eyes became brown, like Jake's. Her skinny features rounded a little. Her front teeth grew and looked suspiciously like Hermione's had last year. 

Cassie grew and became skinnier than she had been. Her hair became light brown and fluffed out like Hermione's. Her skin became as pale as mine. Her eyes stayed brown, but lightened to a dark hazel. I could see a dash of green from my eyes. Her nose became a little pointed.

Ax's skin became a chocolate-colored brown. His hair became black like mine, but rather thin and wavy. His eyes became deep brown. He was just a little taller than I was. He, too, had buckteeth like Hermione's. A mouth grew and his teeth flashed white in his face.

Tobias's hair was dirty blond. He had Hermione's eyes and my stature. He grew to be almost as tall as Jake (in his usual form). His nose was quite flat.

**It's a little long, but you get the point. Stay tuned for my next chapter, which I don't know the title yet, but I _do_ know it's narrated by our lovable Harry Potter. Peace out!**


	23. Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!: Harry

Chapter 23 Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death (Harry) 

            My name is Harry Potter.

            And I am a Controller.

            Erllon sat on the end of my bed and put my face in my hands. My glasses pressed rather uncomfortably into my face… but it wasn't like I could do anything.

            You've led a hard life, he said.

            "Tell me something I don't all ready know," I replied grumpily.

            I'll get out of your head as soon as I can! Erllon said, exasperated.

            I really couldn't blame him. I _had been saying, or at least hinting, for him to get out of my head incessantly. He was actually starting to surprise me, too. He wouldn't go through my memories unless he absolutely __had to. I guess he really isn't that bad._

            I let my thoughts wander. I drifted from fantasies of being a famous Quidditch player, to thinking about O.W.L.s, to former Quidditch matches, to Ron and Hermione.

            I sighed. Would we escape with both our lives and our free wills? Would we have to _die to get our freedom? I'd much rather die than be a slave…_

            Don't do _that, Erllon said, jerking me from my thoughts._

            "Huh?"

            You don't have to die, he retorted, I'll let you go as soon as possible. I don't like having an involuntary host, unlike other Yeerks.

            "Oh."

            He got me to my feet. The meeting is about to start, and I have to be there. he said, checking to see if anyone was in the room. He grabbed a cup from the bathroom and filled it with water from the tap. Grabbing the Cloak and throwing it over his head, he made sure to bump no one as he left the dormitory. We got out of the portrait hole and to… well, wherever it was we were going without trouble.

            When we got to where we were going (the empty Transfiguration classroom), he quickly stashed the Cloak behind a statue. He walked over to the door and rapped three times quickly, paused, then another two.

            The door swung open and a hand came out, grabbed me, and pulled me through. I gasped at what I saw when I came in. The room was absolutely _packed_ with students. I saw people from all Houses, Slytherin included. As Erllon scanned the room, I saw a few familiar faces: Lavender Brown, Ernie Macmillan, Cho Change, Hannah Abbot, and…

            I couldn't help but gasp. None other than Draco Malfoy stood in the room, leaning against the wall and scowling in my direction. He swaggered over to us and looked down his nose, saying, "What are _you_ doing here, Potter?"

            "Calm down, Jagser 491," Erllon said, smiling, "It's Erllon."

            Malfoy visibly relaxed. He even smiled. "Oh, good. I thought I was going to have to go though the whole 'tough-as-nails-and-hates-all-Gryffindors' act again." He scowled, looking much like the true Malfoy, "I hate doing it."

            Erllon laughed. "Good. At least you don't have to do it now."

            "You have that speech ready?" asked Malfoy—or rather, Jagser—nudging me.

            "Oh, yes, of course," Erllon said with an encouraging smile.

            "Luck, my friend," Jagser replied, patting me on the back.

            Erllon went to the front of the room and scrambled up… _McGonagall's desk_!

            I groaned. "You could choose any desk here. _Any_ desk. But you just _had to pick McGonagall's."_

            It's the biggest and the sturdiest, but that's not the point. Could you… you know, rally them up? Make them listen to you?

            "Why should I?" I asked, though not unkindly.

            Because I asked you too. _And I'll get out of your head while you say it._

            _Now it was clear why he had brought the cup of water with him._

            "Fine," I said.

            Just… lift their spirits. Oh, and _promise_ me—_promise—you'll put me back. I'll die._

            I mulled it over. "I promise, as long as _you_ promise to get out of my head for good as soon as possible."

            I promise, too, then, because I was going to anyway.

            "Deal, then. Mind you, I _keep my promises."_

            I know you do.

            He brought the cup to my ear. He slowly wriggled out and landed with a plop in the water. I shuddered as I looked down at the slug-like parasite, unbidden images of it wrapped around my brain coming to mind.

            I gently placed it down. My heart soared. I was in control of my body again!

I whipped my wand out of my pocket. Lifting it high above my head, I said clearly, "_Lumos_."

            The blue light that suddenly radiated from my wand tip startled many into looking over at me. I felt my face flush, but held firm. "Yeerks," I said in a voice that was awfully quiet but seemed to echo through the room, "I am Harry Potter."

            No one said anything, so I continued.

            "If you have read your host's memories, you will know me. If not, I am the person who 'defeated' Voldemort" —everyone flinched— "when I was one. Defeated, that is, if you consider this version of events and that I did nothing: he came to my house, murdered my parents, and when he tried to kill me, the spell rebounded. It turned on him instead and he fled, bringing the house down with him. I left with nothing but a scar on my forehead."

            I lifted my bangs so that the assembled could see my scar. The very thought of doing this made me sick, but I did it anyway to show a point. I considered what to say and found something that would most definitely persuade them. The good thing is, it was very possible. No, it _was_ possible.

            "I know what it's like to be something you don't want to be," I said, voice rising with every word, "I don't _want_ to be the famous 'Boy Who Lived.' I don't _want to be famous. I don't _want_ my name to be known to every wizard in the world. I don't __want to be hunted down Voldemort." —there was a collective shudder that rippled down the room— "I don't _want_ my parents dead._

            "No matter how much I want to be a normal wizard, I know it can't be possible. I can't help be the way that I am. I know how you feel. You were _born_ parasites; it wasn't your fault! You can't change the way you were born.

            "However, there is something you should know: you _can_ change."

            There was a great uproar at these words. The Controllers turned to one another, murmuring excitedly. I waved my wand around in the air and shot off red and gold sparks, retaining quiet.

            "We are wizards. We use magic. Magic, as you probably now know, has no explanation. We can do things regular humans—or Yeerks—couldn't even_ dream_ of doing. For instance, we can change one thing into another. This is called 'Transfiguration'. If we use Transfiguration, we can change your form into another _without_ morphing."

            Excited mutters filled the room. I continued, and they quieted, "There is, however, a catch. You must help me put an end to Voldemort and Visser Three's reign of terror. As you can quite clearly see, Controllers can't use their hosts' magic. If we can't use magic, we cannot transfigure you. Together, both Yeerk and wizard, we can stop them. If we unite, we can overpower them, and we can all get what we want: freedom."

            Applause and cheers erupted. People stomped and whistled. Yells filled the room, along with catcalling. I shot off sparks again for quiet.

            "Don't think," I said, "This will be an easily won victory. I don't know how many will fight against us, and what kind of weapons they posses. People _will_ die. People _will_ get injured. People _will_ lose loved ones. I know this from personal experience. This will be a _battle_, a battle for freedom. As a famous American once said, 'Give me liberty or give me death'!

            "Who's with me?"

            The explosion of noise made my head throb. I jumped down from the desk and landed lightly on my feet. I smiled weakly at the people who thumped me on the back and patted my head. The many movements jarred my glasses loose and they fell with a clatter to the ground. I heard someone step on it.

            "Here you go, Harry," said a voice, handing me my glasses.

            "Thanks," I said. I put them on and immediately saw the damage: a cracked lens and halfway snapped bridge. I groaned.

            "Sorry I couldn't fix them," said the person who'd handed me my glasses, "I can't use my magic."

            I looked up to see who had spoken.

            And my heart skipped a beat.

            Cho Chang stood before me in all her Ravenclaw glory. Her almond-shaped eyes sparkled in the wand light. She tossed her long, black, silky hair over her shoulder and smiled brilliantly at me.

            "That was an awesome speech," she complimented.

            "Uuuh… t-thanks." I stuttered. Why—_why _do I always stutter!? _WHY_!?

            "You were _brilliant_," she said passionately.

            "T-t-thanks," I spluttered.

            She bent forward and kissed me quickly on the cheek. Then she darted into the crowd and I lost her.

            I flushed, pleased and very embarrassed. A few people went, "_Ooooh_!" Muttering incoherently, I took my glasses off. I tapped them with my classes and murmured, "_Reparo_." With a cracking sound, the lens and bridge mended.

            "_Lumos_." I said. The tip of my wand lit with a blue flame. I watched it with longing as I lowered my ear into the cup with Erllon in it. He sensed my presence and swam to my ear. I wrinkled my nose in pain as he squeezed into my ear. My eyes blurred and refocused. I felt the flush drain from my face. The light at the tip of my wand went out as I'd said the counter spell.

            Hello, Erllon said.

            "Hi." I replied, still pleased.

            He watched the memory of my speech with some surprise. Well, I only told you to life their spirits, not say a whole speech. He sounded a little disappointed.

            "Oh. Um… Sorry. I got carried away."

            I see. I had a speech prepared, but I guess… er… you've done the job.

            Everyone flooded out of the classroom, jabbering excitedly. Erllon left last, clutching the cup tightly. My scar gave a particularly nasty throb. He winced in pain.

            "Look on the bright side," I said cheerfully, "It could be worse." Cho's kiss had, embarrassingly, lifted my spirits.

            Yeah, I guess, Erllon said, a smile to his voice.

            A hand abruptly clamped over my mouth, startling Erllon and I alike. Erllon cried out in shock, but the hand muffled the sound. We were dragged backward into the shadow, so all I could make out were six shapes in the dark. They pushed me into a classroom and swung the door shut.

            They put something in my mouth that tasted suspiciously like a sweaty gym sock. I could barely make out the wand that pointed at the bridge of my nose.

"_Lumos_," said a gruff voice.

            The tip of a wand blazed into light. As everything came into light, I saw that Jake was the one pointing the wand at me. Though he wasn't skilled in dueling, he could still do a lot of damage. Erllon looked around at the Animorphs with huge eyes.

            "Tie him," Jake said.

            There was a snapping sound. A rope shot out from someone's wand and wrapped around my wrists. Erllon struggled furiously but to no avail.

            Together, the Animorphs pushed us down to the Chamber of Secrets. When we got to the Chamber itself, they threw me to the floor. My knees throbbed. Erllon gave another muffled cry.

            "Take the gag out," Jake instructed.

            Rachel moved over to me and yanked the sock painfully out of my mouth. Erllon glared at her.

            "We know what you are, Yeerk." Jake said, nostrils flared.

            My eyes widened in Erllon's shock, but then my shoulders sagged. "How did you know?"

            Jake looked shocked that Erllon had admitted this without hassle. "Uuum… we didn't. She guessed." He said truthfully, jerking his head at Cassie.

            "Who are you?"

            This seemed to alarm Jake even more. He paled several shades and glowered at me suspiciously. "Why didn't you read his memories?"

            "I'm in the Yeerk Peace Movement. I don't believe in it. If Harry wants to tell me, he will."

            "Well… um, we're the Andalite Bandits."

            "Really?"

            "Yes. Was Harry voluntary? Did he let the Yeerks infest him?"

            I gave a shout of protest, realized they couldn't hear me, and shut up.

            Erllon chuckled. "Of course not! He put up a terrific fight. You should hear him now, yelling." He realized that this didn't help his situation and added quickly, "He's yelling because you thought he might have been voluntary."

            "Why did you take him as a host, then? I thought you were in the Yeerk Peace Movement." Jake said.

            "I am. We've found that Harry is a major influence on the wizarding world, though. He's a priceless person to have on your side."

            "Erllon," I interrupted.

            "Wait a moment," he said to the Animorphs, and said internally, Yes?

            "I have an idea."

            What is it?

            "I could get my friend Hermione to transfigure you… if you get out of my head now. She could transfigure you into an animal (we haven't gotten to human transfiguration in class yet) and then a teacher can transfigure him into a human."

            Erllon thought on this. Could you do it quickly, so I won't die of Kandrona starvation?

            "I promise to do it as fast as I can. Just trust me."

            Fine. You keep your promises.

            He brought my hands to my ear. I felt him unwrapping himself from around my brain. I shuddered, and then realized I had moved on my own. I nearly forgot about the Yeerk crawling out of my ear. My eyes blurred and refocused, but I had done it. I sighed in relief.

            I felt the Yeerk fall into my hand. I looked at Erllon. He was about the size of the slugs Ron had started to cough up in second year.

            Without pausing to think, I found a deep puddle on the floor and put him in it. When I looked up, the Animorphs were staring at me like I had ten heads. I felt color rise in my cheeks.

            "Harry?" asked Cassie timidly. "Is it really you?"

            "Yeah," I said, abashed to find my voice quiver.

            "Can you do a spell for us?"

            "Sure." I pulled out my wand, summoned up my magic and my happiest memory, and said, "_Expecto Patronum_." 

            The familiar silver stag exploded from the end of my wand. I smiled at it as it galloped soundlessly around the room. It cantered gracefully back to me. It stared at me with bright white eyes that almost seemed questioning. I stroked it with a hand. Once I made contact, it disappeared.

            "What was that?" asked Cassie, looking at me with eyes wide with wonder.

            "It was my Patronus," I explained, "It's the only thing that wards off dementors."

            "How did you get the Yeerk out of your head?" inquired Jake, almost unable to keep a stutter of amazement out of his voice.

            "I made a deal with him," I said, "I told him if he could get out of my head I would get Hermione to transfigure him into something."

            "Brilliant," he murmured.

            "And I learned something."

            "Oh?"

            "The Yeerks in the Yeerk Peace Movement are willing to fight. They'll _listen_ to us during a battle. I think it's time to act, Jake. I'm ready. I know where the Yeerk Pool is. But, I think that before we go to battle, we should tell Professor Dumbledore."

            Jake squared his jaw. "Right. First you and Hermione need battle morphs, though. _Then_ we can go to Professor Dumbledore. I've seen him do magic. He can't be a Controller."

            "Yeah. Yeah, okay."

            "I suggest we go now."

            "I'm ready," I repeated.

            "Let's do it!" crowed Rachel. Marco groaned, and we all laughed.

**A/N: Hey yo! Sorry this took long. ::glowers at computer:: I was half-done yesterday. When I opened up the document today, THE WHOLE CHAPTER HAD DELETED ITSELF! AAAAARGH! I had to write the _whole_ chapter again. ::mumbles::**

**Besides, I read more this week than I usually do. I finished the current _Cirque Du Freak_ series by Darren Shan (excellent, excellent story) and I'm almost done with _Wolf's Head, Wolf's Heart_ by Jane Lindskold. It's an awfully long book, but a terrific book all the same (all 750 pages of it)!**

**Stay tuned for my next chapter, "Spiders and Snakes and Phoenixes, Oh My! (Ax)" Yes, my story is drawing to a conclusion. Do not fear! There are many chapters that are yet to be written! There is the battle and the betrayal and—oops, did I let something slip? ::cackles evilly:: Stick around!**


	24. Spiders and Snakes and Wolves, Oh My!: A...

Chapter 24 Spiders and Snakes and Wolves, Oh My! (Ax) 

            My name is Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill.

            My human friends call me Ax.

            We were going into what Harry called the Forbidden Forest. He was under his Invisibility Cloak with his friend Hermione. The Animorphs and I were owls, all of except Tobias. He was in his usual form.

            Harry had told us that we were going to acquire giant spiders. Hermione had called them Acromantula. I do not know what these are, but they had both sounded a little nervous when they told us to acquire them.

            Harry hung up his Cloak on the branch of a tree. "We won't need it in there," he explained, "and it would only cause a problem. It'll get snagged on the branches." He paused, then added, "Be _careful_. There are tons of dangerous animals in there. I know."

            We all bobbed our heads and took flight. We would follow him into the forest. As he started into the Forest with his wand raised high, I heard him mumble something about flying cars.

            He seemed to get lost after a little while. He frowned and looked around him. "Hermione," he whispered, "what direction is the school?"

            "East of the forest, I think."

            He put his wand on the palm of his hand. "_Point me_."

            The wand swerved around of its own accord. It pointed to the left. Harry squinted in that direction. "Okay, so that's north."

            They continued through the forest. We followed from above like phantoms. The twosome below froze when the bushes in front of them rustled. "_Nox_," Harry whispered. The light at the tip of their wand went out and the only source of light was the full moon.

            "Harry Potter?"

            Hermione squeaked. Cassie gasped. Harry sighed in relief. The rest of us remained silent.

            "Firenze!" Harry cried, grinning.

            I couldn't take my eyes from the creature that emerged into the moonlight. At first I thought it was an abnormally tall human male. He had long, white-blond hair that fell over his broad shoulders. His eyes were piercingly blue. His arms were muscular, so unlike my weak Andalite limbs.

            The thing that made me stare was that below his waist, he was horse: almost like me. The fur on the horse-part of his body was white with splotches of brown. He was pawing nervously at the ground with a fore hoof.

            "Harry Potter," Firenze repeated, eyes wide, "You must leave at once! The Forest is a dangerous place to be at this time."

            "Why?" Harry demanded.

            "The centaurs grow restless. They are beginning to fight the laws laid down by wizard-kind. They are mutinous, Harry Potter." Firenze threw his head back and looked up at the stars. "It is written in the stars that times are going to change. My herd is a dangerous thing to humans. They will punish any who come into their midst."

            I was momentarily confused. How could anything be written in the stars?

"We _have_ to be in here, though," Harry said stubbornly.

            Firenze shook his head and danced nervously on his hooves. "Unless you have come prepared to fight a herd of centaurs, I cannot let you continue. I will have to send you back. There are only two of you, and you are only foals. Your very lives are in danger, and Harry Potter has yet to live his fate."

            Harry's face drained of color. "I have 'yet to live my fate'? What—?"

            Hermione cut him off. "You're wrong, er… Firenze. There are eight of us."

            "Where? I do not see more than two." Firenze said, ignoring Harry's question.

            There are eight of us, Prince Jake said, startling me.

            Firenze's eyes widened. He looked around and frowned.

            Prince Jake fluttered to the ground. Me. The owl. I'm Harry's friend. There are six owls in all. We're all—erm—Ani… Ani…

            "Animagi," Hermione supplied.

            He nodded. We're special Animagi. We can become any animal we touch.

            Firenze flared his nostrils and looked up in the trees. He blinked as he saw the five of us.

            "Fine," he said grudgingly, "I will let you pass. Be _careful_, Harry Potter. It is written in the stars that you must fulfill a destiny. Also, you are my friend. I do not want to see my friend culled."

            He moved to the side. "Thanks, Firenze," Harry told the centaur. As he passed, I heard him whisper to Hermione, "At least he's not a sphinx. _Then_ we would have been in trouble."

            We continued on for hours. Every hour and a half, we Animorphs would demorph and remorph. Harry and Hermione were visibly tiring. They had slowed their pace. Hermione was yawning constantly. Harry was dragging his feet.

            Harry came to a sudden stop. Hermione ran into him. He squinted around him, looking surprised. "I think we're going in the right direction," he said slowly. He blinked and failed to stifle a yawn. "I remember this place…"

            There was a loud roar and a blare of light. I jerked dangerously and plummeted a few feet, as did the other Animorphs. Hermione uttered a small shriek. Harry's wand was immediately in front of him. Once he got accustomed to the light (which was before anyone else), he chuckled and lowered his wand.

            "Guys," he said, stumbling numbly forward, "Guys, it's the Weasley's car!"

            "What?" Hermione gasped.

            I flew behind the powerful ray of light and immediately saw that he was correct. It was a turquoise car, with many bangs and scrapes. It was filthy. Steam streamed out of the engine. I did not know how it could possibly be running.

            Harry patted the car in relief. It's engines roared again and it seemed almost to purr, like a gigantic cat. It rubbed against his leg. He grinned widely.

            "I haven't seen it since second year," he said, stroking its hood fondly. "It saved Ron's and my life."

            The car purred again, seemingly basking in this praise.

            "Can you show us where the giant spiders are?" he asked it.

            I could not believe Harry, who was usually very sensible, was asking a car for directions. Everyone stared blankly at him. I gave a start when the car's doors opened of their own accord. He jumped in the driver's seat and patted the one next to him. "Everyone in!"

            Hermione sat in the seat next to him. The rest of us fluttered into the backseat. It was a little crowded, but we all fit.

            The car doors slammed. With a lurch, the car started forward. From the way Harry drove it, I could see how the car was the way it was. Then I realized he wasn't even _driving it_: it was driving itself!

            It stopped in front of an unusually large tree. Its doors flew open again. Harry and Hermione got out. Harry put a finger to his lips and crept forward. Hermione mimicked him.

            The Animorphs and I demorphed. I watched with one of my stalk eyes as the car doors closed quietly and backed into the darkness.

            Harry had frozen some feet away. He was staring up at the trees behind Prince Jake. I turned to see what he was staring at and all of my hearts nearly stopped.

            There was a monstrously huge arachnid behind my prince. It was _at least_ ten earth feet tall. It reached two of its eight appendages down and grabbed Prince Jake. He yelled in shock as it lifted him from the ground. I leapt forward, tail ready, but Harry was there all ready.

            "_Stupefy_!" he yelled.     

            A jet of scarlet light shot out from his wand and hit the spider. It shrieked and clicked its pincers menacingly. Harry swore and ducked as another giant spider lunged at him from the shadows.

            Meanwhile, Prince Jake morphed. Orange and black fur rippled down his skin. Muscles like liquid steel bulged forth on his arms and legs. His fingernails became claws, his flat herbivore teeth becoming long and sharp. His ears melted and slid to the top of his head. His bone structure changed and he swelled in size.

            He slashed out with his giant claws, striking the beast in the chest. I galloped to his side and hit its head with the flat of my blade. It slumped to the ground, unconscious.

            Cassie, now a wolf, howled a battle cry. She leapt on the Acromantula attacking Harry and Hermione and bit one of its many legs off. It squealed furiously. It clicked furiously and, as I was truly shocked to hear, yelled, "My leg!"

            Rachel took its head off with a sweep of her gigantic paw. It fell to its knees and keeled over backward. Green blood oozed out of where the head had previously been.

            "I—I think I'm going to—" Hermione began. She promptly turned on heel and vomited into the bush. I watched her with some disgust. Humans have a strange way of expelling dangerous things from their digestive system.

            Cassie demorphed quickly and ran over to her. "It's okay," she soothed, hugging Hermione sideways. 

Hermione smiled feebly. "I'll be fine," she said, wiping her mouth with her sleeve, "I just wasn't expecting it."

            "Where's Marco?" asked Harry suddenly.

            I scanned the area with my stalk eyes. He was nowhere in my range of sight. I do not see him.

            Cassie gasped. "Oh no," she whispered, eyes round.

            From somewhere in the distance came the yell of, "Put me down, you giant mosquito!"

            Jake, who hadn't demorphed, was all ready gone. He had disappeared to the direction the voice had come from. "_Lumos_," Harry said, running after Jake. Hermione followed without hesitation, lighting the tip of her wand also.

            Rachel, half demorphed, said a very impolite word fervently. She reversed direction. Cassie was swiftly becoming a wolf again. Once they had completed their morphing, we leapt off into the forest.

            I let the way, slashing tree branches out of the way with my tail blade. Rachel tailed me closely, shouldering obstacles out of her way. This led a clear path for Cassie, who brought up the rear.

            When we arrived, there was a battle underway. About five Acromantulas were fighting Marco, Tobias, and Jake. Harry and Hermione were shouting spells, but they seemed to have no affect whatsoever on the giant spiders.

            Marco cried a gorilla warning and thumped his chest. You want a piece of me?

            The Acromantula took no need of the warning and lunged. Marco wrestled it to the ground, drew his arm back, and punched it. It head snapped off with a sickening crunch.

            I joined the din. Something grabbed my tail. I yelled my surprise and turned. The Acromantula holding me lifted me from my feet, leaving me kicking in the air. I tried to swing at it, but it held me too far away. It brought its head close to mine and opened its pincers and…

A jet of silver light missed my head very narrowly. It hit the spider in the face. It screamed and dropped me. I caught a glimpse of Hermione standing behind me, looking very ill. She clutched her wand in her bloodless fist. She was shaking from fatigue and sickness. There were large purple bags under her eyes.

Thanks, I said.

            "No problem," she croaked.

            "_INCENDIO_!"

            Another jet of light was shot at me. It went through my stalk eyes, making me recoil. I could feel the heat as it traveled. It hit its target, which burst into flame.

            Harry ambled out of the bush, twirling his wand in his fingers. "Sorry," he apologized, "There was no other way around you."

            I scanned the area. The Acromantulas had all died in the fight. My Animorph friends had all ready begun to demorph. 

            We walked back to the clearing with the unconscious Acromantula. One by one, we all acquired it.

            "That was exciting," Harry said, a light note of human sarcasm in his voice. No one had spoken since the fight.

            "Yeah. It was exciting if you like near-death experiences," Marco said. He gave Rachel a very noticeable look.

            Harry shook his head, looking around the clearing. "And they say I go looking for trouble. I think it's _trouble_ that's looking for _me_. Why would I—?" 

            He stopped short. A howl from a nearby wolf had cut him off. He paled several shades. He threw his head back and looked at the moon. Hermione, now paler than before, moved over and looked up. "But it's not _full_," she whispered fearfully.

            The bushes rustled and a wolf ambled out. Cassie gasped. "A wolf! What's it doing all alone? And why—wait a minute, that looks different than a wolf!"

            "_Run_." Harry said, drawing his wand.

            "What? Why?" demanded Prince Jake.

            "RUN!"

            The wolf snarled and raised its hackles. It licked its lips and eyed us up.

            "It's—it's a werewolf," explained Hermione very calmly.

            Werewolf? I asked. She was about to answer when it leapt.

            Straight at Harry.

            It hit him in the chest with its paws. It snapped at his face, spittle flying in every direction. He fought furiously, pushing the wolf's jaws away with his bare hands.

            No one seemed to want to go near the wrestling pair. They were moving too much for Hermione to hit the werewolf with a spell. Seeing as no one else was going to do anything, I jumped forward and lashed out with my tail.

            I luckily hit the werewolf in the flank. My tail blade sank deep. It howled in pain and rolled off Harry. It charged at me but met my tail blade again. Instead of reeling away, it had sunk its jaws in my tail, drawing blood. I winced and shook it off. It fell and I thumped it soundly with the flat of my blade.

            When I turned back, everyone was staring at me in horror. Hermione had her hands clapped over her mouth. Harry remained on the ground, staring up at me with huge eyes. I could see Jake fighting to be calm and failing. Cassie had backed into a tree, shaking her head violently. Marco's mouth was hanging open. Tobias was hurriedly preening his feathers. Rachel was staring at me with horrid fascination.

            What? I asked, What is the matter?

            "A werewolf just _bit_ you," Hermione said through her fingers.

            Yes. I know, I said, still puzzled.

            "Don't you know what a werewolf's bite _does_?"

            It does something?

            "Yes. Every month, when the moon is full, anyone with a werewolf bite becomes a werewolf themselves!"

            You mean that I morph?

            "No. You don't morph. You become a werewolf against your will. They're bloodthirsty creatures, Ax. They'll kill _anything_. You'll be a wolf with uncontrollable bloodlust for the whole night."

            I gasped. But… but… this cannot be possible!

            "It is," Harry said softly, getting to his feet, "My dad's best friend was a werewolf. He still is. He's an extremely nice person, but when he's a wolf… well, let's just say he tried to eat his best friend. That's beside the fact that he tried to eat Ron, Hermione, and me too."

            I stared at him. Maybe… if I morph…

            Harry shook his head. "I don't know, but I think it has something to do with the DNA. Maybe you'll be lucky and it doesn't work with Andalites."

            Hermione looked at me. "Tomorrow is the full moon. I guess we'll find out then. Maybe… maybe I can make you a Wolfsbane potion."

            "I think we should head back now," Harry said, looking at the sky. "It's almost dawn and we should really get some sleep. Ax, you should stay out of class today. There's no telling what could happen."

            No one objected, so he put his wand on the flat of his hand and whispered, "_Point me_."

            He found the direction we would go in and started walked. The Animorphs morphed owls and flew. Getting home seemed to take much longer than the way there even though it only took an hour and a half. 

            Harry and Hermione came down to the chamber with us. Hermione explained werewolf transformations (she had read all about it). They both acquired the dead Basilisk and left, bidding us goodnight.

            No one would approach me that night except Tobias, and he was very tentative when he did.

            I looked at my tail, where the werewolf had bitten me. There was a scar there. According to the way the Escafil device works, it should have healed over.

            But it hadn't.

            Was it, perhaps, an omen of things to come?

            I stared blankly at the statue of one of the Hogwarts founders, Salazar Slytherin. There was nothing I could do now.

            Nothing but wait.

A/N: Dun, dun, duuuuun! Cliffhanger! Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Can you ever forgive me?

**This story, quite pathetically, is seventy-seven pages long. Which means that it's longer than the original fiction story I've been working on for one year and eleven months. ::scowls at self:: Why me?**

**Anywho, stick around for the next chapter: "Chapter 25: Nasty Surprises (Harry)" Is Ax a werewolf? Who is this betrayer I mentioned last chapter? Hang tight!**


	25. Nasty Surprises: Harry

Chapter 25 Nasty Surprises (Harry) 

            My name is Harry Potter.

            And I was running.

            I was running for my life down a corridor that looked vaguely familiar. Something—I don't know what—was chasing me. I didn't _want_ to know what was chasing me. All I knew that if it got me, something horrible would happen.

            I heard a kind of murmur ahead of me. I dashed down the corridor, trying to reach it. My scar was throbbing. It felt like my head would split in half.

            Cold, high-pitched laughter rang behind me. I hesitated, but only for a second.

            Just how long was this corridor, anyway?

            The pictures on the wall laughed at me. They pointed and howled with mirth. The sound of their laughter seemed to slow me down, so I clapped my hands to my ears and continued on.

            Suddenly, I saw it! The end of the corridor was just ahead of me! It was a door. Through the keyhole in the door, light blared out. It was so _dark_…

            I ran faster, forcing my tired legs to speed up. As I got closer, I could make out people near the door. Ron was one of them. He grinned when he saw me. "Hey, Harry!" he called, his voice echoing strangely.

            "Ron! Ron, don't let it get me!" I yelled.

            He snorted and yelled back, "Want to play chess?"

            I was getting closer. With every step, though, the corridor seemed to stretch. Yet, I was close enough to make out another of the shapes: Cedric Diggory.

            "Why, hello, Harry!" he beamed, "That was one heck of a Triwizard Tournament, wasn't it?"

            "Help!" I gasped.

            "What? Couldn't catch that!"

            "HELP!"

            There was no reply. The other two people were becoming clearer. They were holding hands, I could see. I squinted. Their hulks looked so familiar…

            "Run, run, as fast as you can," sang a voice behind me, neither male nor female, "Run, little Harry! You can't hide, but you can run!"

            I pushed my legs to go faster. When I looked up, I could see the other two people. I would have stopped if instinct and fear hadn't kept me going.

            My Mum and Dad—Lily and James Potter—were standing by the door, beaming at me. My Mum had a hand on Ron's shoulder. She was smiling. She beckoned to me and nodded as I sped up.

            Tears blurred my vision. I whipped my glasses off and wiped my eyes furiously. When I put them back on, she opened her mouth to speak. All that came from her mouth was a scream. 

"No! No! Not Harry!"

She wasn't really saying this; her lips moved but the right words didn't come out, as if she were being dubbed. Her screams filled my ears.

She stopped talking and beamed, thinking I had understood what she had said when I hadn't. Dad started talking, but the same thing happened: words that he wasn't saying left his lips.

"Lily! Take Harry and _go_! _He_'s here!"

            Ron swung the door open. Light so bright that it was blinding to look at shone out. He laughed when I cringed back and slowed. "What's the matter, Harry? There's nothing to be scared of! It's just home." He walked in and disappeared in the glare.

            "See you on the other side," Cedric said, smiling and waving. He walked in and stood in the doorway for a moment. He looked amazed and delighted. Without so much as a backward glance, he vanished.

            Mum opened her mouth, saying goodbye, but only her terrified scream sounded in the corridor. Tears filled my eyes again.

            "No! Don't go! I'm so close! _Wait_! _Wait _for me! _Please_… Mum!"

            She laughed and shook her head. She stood the doorway and gestured for Dad to follow with mock impatience.

            He laughed too and stood by her side. They waved at me, looking just like they had in Mirror of Erised.

            I was so close! I was only a few feet away…

            I stretched my hand out to them. "Wait for me! Mum! Dad! Don't go without me!"

            They suddenly stopped smiling and looked completely serious. Mum even looked fearful. She held out her hand for me to take. There were only a few inches separating our fingers… only a few centimeters more…

            Voldemort's high-pitched laughter froze my insides. I saw the door wobble dangerously, as if it were about to shut. I prepared to spring…

            The door swung forward. "HARRY!" Mum screamed. "HARRY!" Dad bellowed.

            "MUM! DAD!" I screamed. So… close…

            The door slammed shut with a sound that echoed throughout the corridor. I hit the door full on and crumpled. I jumped to my feet, sobbing. I turned the doorknob and pulled. The door remained shut. "NO!"

            "Yes," said Voldemort, stepping from the shadows. I pulled more violently. The door wouldn't budge.

            "Bow to death, Harry!" laughed my tormentor. He pointed his wand at me and said two words that he had used countless times, "_Avada Kedavra_!"

            Green smoke issued from the tip of his wand. It blazed my eyelids. I screamed and clapped my hands to my face. Green light… a blinding pain on my forehead…

            "Harry!"

            My eyes popped open, only to see my fingers pressed over my eyes. I was trembling. My pajamas were soaked through with cold sweat. My scar was pounding. I removed my hands from my face and groaned.

            Dean and Neville were crouched over me. It was then I realized I was on the floor. Rubbing my scar furiously, I sat up. I grabbed my glasses from the bedside table and put them on.

            "It was just a nightmare, Harry," Dean said, "You were screaming like a banshee. You nearly made Seamus wet the bed. Then you rolled off the bed, holding your scar."

            I found that there were tears on my sweaty cheeks. I quickly wiped them away and got to my feet. "It's nothing. It was just a nightmare about… you know…" I indicated my scar. He nodded with understanding.

            They ambled back over to their beds. I sat down on mine and rubbed my face. I peeked at the clock through my fingers. It was five in the morning. We had, amazingly, got home at twelve-thirty. It had seemed much later when we had been in the forest.

            I couldn't go back to sleep, so I got dressed and went down into the common room. Hermione was all ready there, staring at the dying embers. She looked up at me when I sat down and smiled mirthlessly. "Couldn't sleep?"  
            "Yeah. I had a nightmare and couldn't get back to sleep."

            She nodded and looked back into the fire. Her eyes were glassy.

            "Did you get any sleep?" I asked.

            She nodded. "About an hour. That… battle we had was pretty intense. I just wasn't ready for…" She fell silent. "I guess I sound like an idiot. You never have nightmares about the things that happened to you."

            I snorted. "Yeah, right. I wish. You don't know how many times I've woken up at night sweating because I was dreaming about what happened last year. Dudley told me how I screamed in my sleep…"

            "You should. That was horrible, what you went through. I would have fainted. I don't think I'll ever be as brave as you."

            "You're brave! Why would the Sorting Hat have put in you in Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw? You've done _tons_ of things."  
            "Um… Harry?" asked Hermione timidly.

            "Yeah?"

            "I have to tell you something… just incase we, you know, die…"

            "What?"

            "I—I… Harry, I—"

"Harry!" squeaked a voice behind me.

            I nearly fell out of my chair. I turned around and saw Colin Creevey. I could barely suppress a groan. He was holding his camera up. "Can I have a picture of you and your girlfriend?"           

            Hermione and I let out identical yells of horror. 

"She isn't my girlfriend!" I spluttered.

            "Who said he was my boyfriend?" she demanded.

            Colin laughed. "I thought… with the way you two were carrying on…"

            "Colin," I said warily, "What for the love of Quidditch are you doing in the common room at five thirty in the morning?"

            He shrugged, still grinning. "I heard you yelling. I'm surprised it didn't bring Snape up from his office in the dungeons. Screaming like a banshee, you were."

            I rolled my eyes and said bluntly, "I've heard."

            "All right, then. I'm going back to bed."

            We watched as he disappeared up the stairs to the boy's dormitory.

            "Well," I said, with a slight cough, "That was—ahem—interesting."

            She nodded.

            We didn't speak again until it was time for class. I fell asleep in History of Magic, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. I almost fell asleep in Transfiguration and Potions, but McGonagall and Snape made sure to keep me awake. Though McGonagall was gentler about it, Snape forced me to make and drink my own Wakefulness Potion. I walked out of that class with my nose shriveled up. Hermione promptly fixed it with a wave of her wand.

            So, by the time we got down to the Chamber of Secrets, I was in a horrible mood. I snapped at almost anyone who talked to me. I had even made a group of first year girls run when I yelled at them.

            "Hey, Harry," Jake said.

            How could he sound so… _awake_?

            "Hi, Jake," I muttered.

            Hermione moved over to the puddle Erllon was in. She crouched over him and picked him up, putting him on solid ground. She stood, cleared her throat, and waved her wand. She closed her eyes and said the spell.

            Erllon's Yeerk form twisted. In a fluid motion so unlike morphing, I watched Erllon become a merlin, a type of bird. He was on his side on the ground, sopping wet. He used his wings to get unsteadily to his feet. He violently shook the water off and tottered a few steps.

            Tobias fluttered down beside the Yeerk-turned-merlin. I think he said something in private thought-speak, because Erllon squawked. Tobias must have been explaining how to fly, because, pretty quickly, Erllon was gliding above our heads.

            "We should tell Dumbledore today," I said firmly.

            Jake nodded. "You two have your battle morphs. If we run into any problems, we'll be able to help out."

            The Animorphs didn't bother to morph for Dumbledore, but they did put on their robes. Well, Ax morphed human. Erllon, almost as if he knew what was going to happen, fluttered down and perched on my shoulder. I gave him a small smile.

            Together, we trekked to Dumbledore's office. I stopped at the griffin in front of his office and frowned. I turned to Hermione. "Do you know the password?"

            She shook her head.

            I wrinkled my nose at the statue. "Lemon drop? Fizzing Whizbee? Cockroach Cluster?"

            Nothing happened.

            "Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans? Wait, he doesn't even like those… Exploding Bon Bons?"

            Frustrated, I kicked the statue. This did nothing to either help the situation or improve my mood. Erllon shrieked and fluttered off my shoulder. I yelped and jumped up and down, holding my toe. "Oh, come on!" I howled, "I've been in the office _tons_ of times before!"

            The Animorphs all gave me funny looks. "I wasn't in _trouble_," I said grumpily, leaning against the statue. 

            "Maybe… maybe he isn't in his office," Hermione said, trying to lighten the mood.

            "Where would be? The Room of Requirement?"

            I fell over when the statue sprang to life and leapt out of the way. I quickly got to my feet. "Hmmm… the Room of Requirement? I'll have to remember that…"

            We rode the moving stairs to the office. When we got there, I motioned for everyone to be quiet and pressed my ear to the door. The only sound I could hear was someone humming to himself. I grinned and knocked on the door.

            "Come in!" said the cheerful reply.

            I opened the door and looked around the office. The portraits of former Headmasters, ever sleeping, didn't stir as I clambered gratefully into one of the chairs. Fawkes cooed softly and flapped over to sit on my shoulder. He rubbed his head against my cheek.

            The Animorphs and Hermione couldn't stop gaping as they entered. Dumbledore, who sat at his desk, waved his wand. Several more chairs appeared in front of his desk. He folded his long fingers and smiled at me. I looked into his twinkling blue eyes. Something seemed… different today, but I guess I'm just a little tired. I noticed something that made me squirm though: he didn't give me one of his X-ray looks.

            "Hello, Harry!" he said, beaming. "What seemed to be the problem?"

            "Professor," I said, "There's something wrong with the school."

            "Yes, I know," he said sadly, "With that disease going around. I can't seem to find the cure. I know about this, however. Is there something more about it you wish to tell me about?"

            "Yes! It isn't a disease, Professor. An alien race called Yeerk has taken over people's minds. They crawl inside your ear and wrap around your brain. _That_'s why no one can use their magic!" I gestured to the Animorphs. "These American muggles have been fighting them for years. They have the power to morph, which is kind of like being an Animagi only messier and you can become more than one animal. You have to help us!"

            "Harry, may I see your wand?" asked Dumbledore.

            Frowning, I shrugged. "Sure," I said, handing it over.

            He waved my wand and said a spell that shot flowers out of the tip. He examined it carefully for a minute and asked, "Have you told anyone else but these people about this?"

            "No," I said, shaking my head violently.

            Fingering his own wand, Dumbledore said, "Good." He stood up and pointed his wand… straight at _me_. It pointed right between my eyes. Heart thundering, I stood.

            "Don't move." Dumbledore hissed. All of the warmth in his eyes had disappeared. His face was contorted into a look of fury and disgust. I had _never_ in my _life_ seen him look like this before. It was worse than the look he had given Barty Crouch Jr.

            "Professor?" Hermione squeaked.

            "Shut up, girl," Dumbledore snarled.

            Jake was suddenly on his feet. His chair skidded wildly backward. "Yeerk!" he cried, starting to morph tiger.

            "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Dumbledore said, "Because then Harry Potter will never live his fate."

            Oh, for the love of Quidditch, not this fate thing again!

            "_Sit_."

            My chair skidded forward and brought my legs out from underneath me, so I fell into my chair. I looked up at him. "Who _are_ you?" I whispered.

            "Visser Five," Dumbledore said, swelling with pride.

            "Why would Visser Three give someone so powerful to a lowly Yeerk like you?" demanded Rachel, fire in her eyes.

            He chuckled. "That fool? He doesn't even know I'm in control of my host's magic. He thinks he controls me. Hah! I will be Visser _One_ by the end of this month."

            "But _how_?" I asked.

            "How can I what?"

            "Well, I know your not Dumbledore _now_," I sneered, "Dumbledore is _wise_."

            "You're not in the position to be mouthing off."

            "I know and I don't care. _How_ can you be using Dumbledore's magic?"

            "It's his own fault, really. If he hadn't read so much, I wouldn't have found how. It's a potion that a wizard can create to give a muggle someone's magic. All you need is a part of the person you're taking magic from. I put the old fool Dumbledore in a contraption that held his ear in the potion and slid out. After soaking it into my Yeerk body, I crawled back in. Now I can use his magic. Unfortunately for him, this is only reversible by death."

            I sat in numb disbelief. "_No_," I whispered.

            Visser Five's lip curled. "Yes."

            "NO!"

            I surged to my feet. One of Dumbledore's silvery objects whirred and hissed. It exploded into a million little pieces. Visser Five waved his wand at me and bellowed, "_Perfectus Totalus_!"

            I ducked and rolled. The spell hit the chair. I jumped up. I held my hand out to my wand and concentrated with all my might. "_ACCIO_!"

            My wand flew up off his desk. I lunged to catch it, but another spell caught me in the chest. I screamed a blood curdling scream as the Crucious Curse surged through my body. My very bones were on fire! It was pain beyond pain! I was suddenly wishing to die, wishing that it would all just end…

            It stopped suddenly. I had my wand in hand, but I was too weak to think about using it. I ached all over. Before I even had time to process these thoughts, the Imperious Curse was on me.

            _That_ was a mistake.

            I felt lightheaded. I smiled vaguely. All my worries disappeared. Though, through this lightheadedness, another voice was calling to me.

            _Harry James Potter, you idiot, resist_!

            I blinked a few times, trying to clear my vision.

            "_Potter, follow me_."

            I lifted my leg to take a step and obey, but that other voice hissed to me again.

            _No_! _He's the _enemy! _Don't do what he says_!

            I put my foot on the floor and forced my eyes to focus.

            "_Potter, _come."

            I swayed slightly. I was becoming myself. My current situation was suddenly screaming in my mind. My eyes snapped into focus. The stupid smile on my face disappeared. "_Protego_!"

            Visser Five's wand shot up to point at the ceiling. "_Expelliarmus_!" I yelled, and his wand flew out his hand. I caught it in my free hand and smiled coldly at him.

            "Yes," Visser Five murmured, eyes narrowed, "You always were one for dueling."

            Before I could react, he lunged at me. Jake dashed forward, but he was too far away. I gasped as Visser Five hit me full in the chest and we tumbled backward. With strength he didn't look capable of having, he wrestled both wands from me. He grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled me to my feet.

            He dragged me out of the room and slammed the door behind me. He locked the door with both a key and a spell. I yelled, but then he used the Silencing Charm on me. He shot ropes out of his wand and tied my hands behind my back.

            And then he hauled me down to the Yeerk Pool.

            My doom.

**A/N: Surprise! ::evil, maniacal laughter:: I bet you didn't see _that_ coming. Well, I guess it really isn't a betrayal, but hey! Sure adds a twist to the plot. Warning for future chapters: they will probably all be cliffhangers, 'cept the last 'un. **

**Stay tuned for "Chapter 26: The Great Escape (Jake)"!**


	26. The Great Escape: Jake

Chapter 26 The Great Escape (Jake) 

            My name is Jake.

            Hermione ran to the door and tried to open it. It wouldn't budge. Angrily, she whipped out her wand and shouted, "_Alohomara_!" Green light zipped around the door.

            Nothing happened.

            She swore and felt the door, which was a mistake. She jumped back as if she'd been shocked. "_Ow_," she said, sucking on her fingers. She glared at it.

            "Now what?" asked Marco, stripping down to his morphing outfit.

            The others turned to me, waiting for me to come up with some brilliant plan. I chewed on my lower lip. My thoughts were reeling. "Is there a window?" I asked.

            Hermione looked uneasily around. "I haven't been up here before." She wrinkled her nose and began a search. She came back looking disappointed. "There are some, but they're locked shut."

            "I'm going to go mad if I don't do something," said a sudden, disembodied voice.

            I jumped in surprise and looked up. One of the portraits was awake. I squinted at him. He looked familiar…

            "_Phineas_!" hissed another portrait.

            "Oh, be quiet," Phineas said testily, "One of those children helped my great-great-grandson escape the Dementor's Kiss, even though he _is _a fool. I have debt to repay."

            "Phineas?" asked Hermione, eyes saucer-wide, "Phineas_ Niggle_?"

            The man in the portrait gave her a little, mocking bow. "In the canvas."

            "Aren't you Sirius's great-great-grandfather?"

            I exhaled in realization. So _that_'s why he looked familiar.

            "Yes. Well, that is, before my lovely granddaughter burned him from the family tree."

            Marco tried and failed to suppress a snort. Phineas gave him a scalding look and wrinkled his nose. He muttered something that I think was translatable to "_Muggles_…"

            "Do you know how to get out of here?" asked Hermione, looking around. I followed her gaze. I realized with a start that all the portraits were now wide-awake and staring down at us. I couldn't help but shudder a little. You know those old horror movies with the portraits with their eyes cut out for peepholes, and someone stands behind it and watches you as you walk down the corridor? It was just like that.

            "As I matter of fact, I do," Phineas said. He turned, walked out of his frame… and right into another portrait. I gasped in surprise. I had known the portraits could talk and move, but I had never seen them walk into neighboring pictures before.

            He brushed past the occupants of the other portraits, oblivious to their objections about his intrusion. He stopped in a life-size portrait of a wizard that looked a lot like Dumbledore without the half-moon glasses. He gave the man a fluttering bow and smiled. "Forgive me, Merlin," he said.

            "Apology accepted, Phineas." Merlin said with a returning smile.

            Phineas turned to us. "Merlin's portrait hides a secret passageway that leads down to the dungeons. The path is narrow, so you'll have to walk sideways. That's only the beginning, though. It widens out, but there are traps all over the place. Only a few great wizards have learned of them all. You'll have to defend yourself when you come to them."

            Hermione squared her shoulders. "Right. So it's like going to the Sorcerer's Stone again?"

            Phineas thought about this. "A little. There are many more obstacles."

            "Phineas, could you do us another favor?"

            "I'm listening."

            "Could you tell Sirius about this… and the Order of the Phoenix?"

            "Are you _sure_ you want my idiot descendant dragged into this?"

            She gave him a scathing look. He grinned. "All right, then, I'll tell him. The spell to get in is '_Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titilandus_'."

            "The school motto?"

            "Why not?" Phineas asked. Receiving no reply, he said, "Right, then. I'm off." He turned from Merlin's portrait and disappeared.

            "May luck's blessing be with you," Merlin said with a gracious nod of his head.

            "Thanks," Hermione said, adding, "_Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titilandus_."

            Merlin's portrait swung open. Looking in, I saw Phineas was correct. The only way to go through was to walk in sideways.

            "_Lumos_." Hermione said, whispering for some unknown reason. Without further ado, she sidled into the passageway. I followed her without hesitation. I heard the others shuffle in after me.

            Within a few moments, the passage widened. Hermione stopped short there, poised. I didn't know what to expect; she, however, did.

            She raised her wand high and squinted into the darkness. She cautiously stepped forward, eyes darting around to the walls. She took another prudent step. Her breath came out in wheezes.

            I carefully tiptoed after her, stepping where she had been the moment before. I didn't want to trigger anything that would cost her life.

            She studied the floor before taking a third step. The stone she stepped on sank a few inches into the ground. She quickly backed up a step, running into me. We toppled over backward.

            There was a grinding sound, like stone against stone. I was instantly on my feet again, pulling her up roughly by the sleeve.

            But then I realized it was too late.

            Incredibly sharp, long metal nails were protruding from the wall. They seemed to be getting longer, very quickly.

            "The walls are closing in!" shrieked Hermione.

            I looked quickly at our options. The walls were shutting in too quickly for us to get back without becoming human pincushions. From the look on Hermione's face, she knew it too.

            Before I could say anything, her wand was in the air. The light at the tip of her wand went out, throwing us all into darkness. Well, at least I wouldn't have to see the nails going through my body…

            "_IMPEDIMENTA_!" she bellowed.

            I heard the walls slow. The wand light came back, and I could see her shaking and sweating. "RUN!" she yelled hysterically, "IT WON'T LAST FOREVER!"

            I needed no telling twice. I heard the Animorphs coming after us. I grabbed her sleeve and pulled her along. Her eyes were closed and she was murmuring… what? A spell? A prayer?

            I could see a vein in her temple throbbing. I felt her shaking horribly under my grip. She was extremely pale, and flickering blue wand light didn't help. How she could keep two spells maintained at once was a mystery to me, but it seemed to be taking a lot of her strength. Well, the walls _were_ stone and the spells were probably very old.

            Once we were both beyond the spikes, I pressed myself against the wall and held her against me. When the other Animorphs were safely next to me, I shook her by the shoulders. "Let go!" I hissed.

            She did with a gasp. She fell to her knees and choked on the air. The wand light went out, but I could hear the two walls collide with extreme force.

            After a few minutes of violent coughing, her wand tip flared again. I saw tears flowing down her cheeks and that her nose was running.

            Cassie ran to her. She pulled a Kleenex out of her pocket and gave one to the shaking girl. Hermione mopped her face and smiled weakly. "Sorry," she croaked, "It was a big strain."

            "Don't apologize," Cassie said sternly, "You saved our lives."

            Hermione blinked in surprise. "I did?" The realization of what had just happened started to dawn on her.

            "Yeah." Cassie nodded.

            Hermione stood and shook her head violently, as if she could shake the throbbing headache that was so visibly starting from her head. "C'mon," she sniffed, "The more time we spend waiting for me to get better the better chance Harry will be dead. V-V-Voldemort will kill him."

            I studied her face. She had never spoken Lord Voldemort's name before.

            Blinking her watering eyes, she took up her precise steps again. We walked in silence for a few minutes. She stopped short, so I did too. She pointed soundlessly to a thin thread of what looked like fishing wire. She stepped over it and waited for the rest of us to the same before continuing.

            "Just how long is this tunnel?" asked Marco in normal tones, but it seemed as if he shouted. His voice echoed down the tunnel, shaking dust from the ceiling. We all waited in silence, as tight as strung bows.

            When nothing happened, Hermione took another step. She was about to take another one when she gasped and froze on the spot. She swayed dangerously and turned green, as if suddenly and violently seasick. She fell to her knees, as, before our very eyes, spots that looked almost like the chickenpox rippled down her skin.

            She shuddered and fell on her side. Her eyes rolled up in her head and she fainted.

            "Oh my God," whispered Cassie.

            There was a soft growl and from the shadows stepped a creature. It had the look of a jaguar, only ten times as big. As it breathed, green smoke puffed out of its nostrils. Its eyes were demonic red and glowed in the wand light from the wand Hermione still clutched in a death grip.

            It stepped forward and I could have sworn it smiled at us. It opened its mouth and panted, its foul breath starting to fill the hall. As I breathed it in, I felt my stomach churn. My eyes watered and my nose began to run. I watched in disbelief as my skin turned a sick shade of green.

            Ax, who had demorphed a while back, shook and fell to his knees. I stumbled into the wall, pulled my shirt up over my nose, and gasped, "BATTLE MORPHS!"

            I had quickly started my own, holding my breath as long as I could. I felt the illness disappear with the morph. The jaguar watched with shock and narrowed its eyes, growling.

            What the heck is that thing? demanded Rachel, starting her own growl.

            I have no idea, I replied, tail switching, but it's going down.

            Ready when you are, Marco said, giving me a gorilla grin.

            GO! GO! GO! I yelled, leaping forward with a roar that could make even the bravest person's legs weak.

            The jaguar jumped back and snarled, as lithe and strong as me. Although it was several sizes larger than me, I jumped and snapped at its neck.

            It roared back at me, furious. It bit down hard on my flank, but I pulled away and it didn't even break my skin. I slashed at it with my claws and several bloody scratches appeared on its face.

            It jumped on me, pinning to the ground. I saw Rachel barreling at it out of the corner of my eye, but in one quick moment it had bitten my ear clean off.

            I screamed in pain. Usually I was used to this kind of thing, but this was horrible. Some of its saliva had mingled with the blood. I felt—_felt_—my organs weakening and deteriorating. My lungs collapsed upon themselves and my heartbeat was becoming irregular. My eyes were rotting. If I didn't demorph within seconds, I would be dead.

            I pictured the human Jake. Even as I morphed, I could feet the beat of my heart dwindling. I feebly clutched at with melting finger-claws. I gasped for breath and got none.

            Jake! Cassie screamed, running over to me and nuzzling me with her head.

            Marco, grab Jake and Hermione and get them _out of here_! Rachel said, in a fierce battle with the jaguar. Tobias screamed his best red-tail scream and dived at its eyes. He scratched at it with his talons, but faltered halfway through and plummeted to the ground.

            I felt a hand grab me and throw me over a shoulder. Soon I realized I was over Marco's shoulder and he was bounding down the hall. By the time he stopped, I was all the way demorphed.

            He put me gently on the ground and lay Hermione next to me. I blinked and sat up. When Marco pushed me down with a finger, I said, "I'm _fine_ now, Marco."

            Grudgingly, he let me get to my feet. I crouched over Hermione and checked her pulse, finding it there but weak. If she didn't get medical attention soon, she'd probably die.

            After a few moments that seemed like eons, the rest of the Animorphs were rushing down the hall. Rachel and Cassie were half demorphed. Ax and Tobias, I was glad to see, seemed fine.

            "Is it dead?" I asked.

            Rachel nodded grimly. Cassie quickly walked over to Hermione and knelt by her. She checked the fallen girl's pulse, opened her mouth, and counted how long she breathed in a minute.

            "This is serious, Jake," she whispered. Her eyes were shining. "If she doesn't get an antibiotic in five minute tops, she's going to die."

            I sat down. Hard.

            "All… you… need…" gasped a voice that made me jump, "is… the… spell."

            I looked down at Hermione. Her face was screwed up in a look of pain. She squinted up at me as if the dim light hurt her eyes. She struggled to breathe.

            "What spell?" I asked quickly.

            She mumbled something I didn't understand.

            "What?"

            With an effort, she gasped, "_Nindulumite_."

            "_Nindulumite_?"

            She nodded, baring her teeth in pain. "Only… one… cure… for… Nundu's… Breath."

            "Nundu?"

            "Big… jaguar… thing."

            I turned to the others. "Who's our best wizard? Who thinks they can do this spell?"

            Marco stepped grimly forward. He's usually a little pompous when it comes to things he can do well, but I knew he wasn't exaggerating. I was in all his classes. He could really do this magic-stuff.

            He quickly morphed into his wizard form and knelt by Hermione, taking his wand from inside his morphing suit. She looked up at him and gagged on a breath. She was fading fast.

            He waved his wand and concentrated. I could see him start to sweat. He said in a clear voice that rang throughout the passageway, "_Nindulumite_."

            Silver light shot out the end of his wand. It snaked inside Hermione's mouth, nose, and ears. She screamed and convulsed violently. Her body became stiff as a board, limp, and stiff again in quick succession. I could tell by the look on her face that she was being wracked with pain. Tears flowed freely from her eyes. The light at the tip of her wand went out, so Marco quickly lit his own. Her screaming echoed down the passage, making it seem like there were a thousand screaming people instead of one.

            As quickly as she had started screaming, she stopped. It was suddenly eerily quiet.

            I stared at her. She was limp. Her head lolled unpleasantly to one side. Her eyes were wide open and glassy. Her mouth was partially open. Her skin was dead white.

            I quickly bent down next to her. I grabbed her wrist and felt for a pulse. Even as I put my fingers on her vein, it died away. Frantic now, I touched a hand to her chest.

            She wasn't breathing.

            Everyone was looking at me with held breath. Slowly, I shook my head.

            Cassie gasped and her eyes filled with tears. Rachel went pale with shock. Ax stood, as stoic as he ever was. Marco was staring at the ground, eyes round. Tobias quietly hid himself behind his hawk's instincts. I still squatted, feeling very numb indeed.

            "Well," I said softly after a few minutes, "I guess we should bring her body back. For Harry."

            Cassie nodded, tears streaming down her face. "I—I think… that's what they both want."

            I slowly got to my feet. "Ax, do you mind if we put her over your back?"

            No, Prince Jake, Ax said, voice devoid of emotion. I didn't even tell him not to call me Prince.

            "Marco, could you lead the way?"

            "Sure," Marco said, getting to his feet also. He whispered, "_Lumos_." The tip of his wand flared and shimmered brightly.

            We continued on. I froze when Marco stopped suddenly. His eyes glinted in the wand light. Cautiously, he lifted it high above his head and sent light farther down the corridor. There was a circular crack that ran through the floor. Frowning, he took another step.

            And the world began to spin.

            "AAAAHHHH!"

            I flew off my feet and hit the wall. The pressure from the spin was so great that it felt like my lungs were collapsing. My eyes watered. "MARCO!" I cried hoarsely, "DO SOMETHING!"  
            "WHAT?" he hollered back.

            "SOMETHING!"

            I heard him mutter above the grinding stone about my orders not being specific enough. He slowly lifted his hand and inched it toward his wand. He touched it with two fingers. "WHAT WAS THAT SPELL HERMIONE USED?"

            "WHAT SPELL?"

"THE ONE THAT MADE THE WALLS STOP!"  
            "I THINK IT WAS… _IMPEDIMENT_!"

            _"IMPEDIMENT_!"

            Nothing happened.

            "THAT HELPED!" Marco yelled.

            The room started to spin faster. Ax kicked his legs frantically. Tobias was beginning to be crushed by the pressure. "QUICK, MARCO!"

            He muttered things under his breath. My mind was reeling. My organs were slowly being crushed. What was the spell? _What was it_?

            "_Impedimenta_!" squeaked a voice to my right.

            I looked over and saw Cassie. Louder, she cried, "_IMPEDIMENTA_!"

            "RIGHT!" Marco bellowed, slowly squeezing his fingers under his wand, "_IMPEDIMENTA_!"

            The walls slowed. It slowed so much that we fell off the wall. I hit the ground with a gasp and started to cough. Rachel was all ready staggering drunkenly out of the spinning room. I crawled out on my hands and knees. Only when Tobias had finally flapped weakly out of the room did Marco let the spell go.

            The walls spun faster even than before. My feet were inches from the spinning stone. I watched, mystified, as the stone slowed and finally stopped.

            Ax still had Hermione on his back. His front legs had collapsed. When my head stopped spinning, I helped him to his feet—or rather, hooves.

            Marco leaned against the wall. He was the last of us to recover. I guess that holding the spell had really taken on toll on him. When he was ready, we continued.

            I didn't know how much more I could take. I was tired. I hadn't had a full night's sleep since I had got to Hogwarts. I'd been morphing and fighting constantly. My body had been abused thousands of times, but, even though they'd healed, the memory of them still hurt.

            Marco tripped after a while. I went to catch him and tripped too. I heard a light "twang!" and heard the corridor rumble. Walls shot up on both sides of us with impossible speed. I ran to the wall and felt it with my hands. There was no door or handhold, as I had expected.

            There was a gurgling noise that sounded uncannily like running water. We all froze. Suddenly, I felt something touch my feet. I looked down and stared. I watched as water started to fill the room. "Everyone, trout morph!"

            Uh, Jake? Tobias asked, fluttering up to Rachel's shoulder.

            "Yeah?"

            Not all of us have trout morphs.

            I blinked, and then remembered. Tobias hadn't been able to morph when we had acquired trout. Ax hadn't even _been _there.

            I thought, almost retorting to banging my head against the cold stone wall. The water was coming in fast. It was all ready up to my knees and still going.

            "Uuuh… uuuh…" I spluttered.

            "Cassie, dolphins can hold their breath for a long time, right?" I asked finally.

            She nodded. "But we don't know how long it'll be until the water flushes out."

            I ran a hand through my hair. The water was now up to my waist. "There's nothing else we can do!" I yelled finally, loosing my self-control.

            Cassie sloshed over to my and put a hand on my arm. I relaxed slightly.

            The water was up to my armpits.

            I turned to Ax and Tobias. "Morph at the last possible moment and take a deep breath. I'm sorry, but it's the only thing we can do."

            Tobias, whose talons were now underwater, bobbed his head. He flapped off Rachel's shoulder and hovered near the ceiling. I saw Ax rear up onto his hind legs and put his fore legs on the wall, making him so tall that his stalk eyes brushed the ceiling. Hermione slid off his back and floated lifelessly in the water.

            The water was now up to my chin. I watched Marco demorph and become himself again. He dropped his wand as he floundered. In his morph he was as tall as me, but he was really very short.

            I morphed trout. The first thing that happened to me was that I got gills, causing me to gasp through my mouth and draw air into lungs that needed water. Luckily for me, the water was now up to my nose so water flowed into my lungs.

            By the time I finished morphing, Tobias and Ax had begun their own. I watched with a shudder that ran through my fish body as bird and Andalite became dolphins. It was a disgusting thing to see, really.

            Minutes dragged by. Ax informed us every time a minute was up, which really didn't help. Whenever I glanced Tobias or Ax, I got this mental image of Jake soufflé.

            After a while, we all stopped listening to Ax. It was only when Tobias cried out that we looked over at him. I need air! he gasped, thrashing.

            STOP! Cassie said, You're only using your remaining air if you move around!

            I don't _have_ any remaining air!

            I watched Hermione's lifeless body float by and saw a mental image of Tobias and Ax like that. If the water didn't drain soon, they'd die.

            And it would be all my fault.

            I watched on helplessly as Cassie tried her best to calm Tobias down. I need air! _I need air_! he shouted hysterically. He smacked me with his tail and sent me into the wall.

            Dazed, I floated as if paralyzed. When I came too, Tobias had stopped moving. I looked over at Ax. He had too.

            Tobias! screamed Cassie.

            No answer.

            I heard a loud rushing sound. I felt something pull me down. I looked. There was a hole in the floor that was sucking the water in… and it was big enough to swallow a trout!

            Demorph! I cried.

            We did. Cassie was the first to become human and run over to Tobias and Ax. She bent over their bodies. "Breathe!" she yelled, holding Tobias's fin, "BREATHE!"

            She pounded on the place I guess his lungs were. Water sprayed out of his blowhole, catching me full in the face. I sputtered and coughed. Marco pointed and laughed. 

            I'm breathing, I'm breathing! Tobias yelled when Cassie pounded again.

            She hurried over to Ax and did the same procedure to him. When he was found alive, we were all extremely relieved. They both demorphed. Ax looked thoroughly shaken, as did Tobias.

            We slung Hermione over Ax's back and trudged on. We were all tired and worn through. Even Rachel was starting to lose that maniac glint in her eye, which was a bad sign.

            A little way down the hall, Marco stopped again. "There're holes in the wall." He said, pointing. I saw them and nodded. I picked up a rock from the ground and threw it. As it soared by the holes, arrows shot out at it.

            I rubbed my hands together. "This is going to be tough," I said.

            Marco snorted. "No kidding, Big Jake."

            "I guess the 'Impedimenta' spell would work again…" I said slowly.

            He nodded. "I'll try it." He boldly stepped forward. As the arrows shot out at him, he yelled, "_Impedimenta_!"

            They slowed. "Go! Go! Go!" I yelled, dashing by Marco. He followed me, brow furrowed with concentration. When we were halfway through (this was a long section of the corridor) his spell gave out.

            "DOWN!" I yelled, doing a belly flop on the hard stone. My belly stung with pain, but it was better than being turned into Swiss cheese.

            Rachel yelled when an arrow sank deep into her arm. She stumbled and fell, bleeding profusely. Nose wrinkled in pain, she dragged herself forward with her good arm.

            By the time we had army-crawled to the end (Ax had to morph human to do this and we did manage to drag Hermione's body with us), she was going faint. She giggled deliriously when we propped her up against the wall.

            Cassie took her friend's arm in her knees and grabbed the arrow's shaft. "Rachel?"

            "Yeah, Jordan?"

            "I'm going to pull on three."

            "You have a crush on _Marco_, Jordan? He is _so_ stupid!" 

            Marco looked pleased and disgruntled at the same time.

            "One…"

            "What're you doing, Mom?"

            "Two…"

            "I didn't do anything bad."

            "THREE!"

            Cassie pulled. Hard.

            Rachel yelled as the arrow came clean out of her skin. "He-e-e-ey! What was that for, Doctor?"

            "Rachel? Rachel, listen to me. You've got to morph, all right?"

            "Morph? Okie-dokie…"

            Slowly, but surely, Rachel morphed to grizzly. When she was totally bear, she became aware of where she was. Hey! Why did I morph grizzly? What happened? All I remember is getting an arrow in the arm…

            Marco sniggered. "You were delirious."

            I was?

            "Big time."

            Rachel demorphed. Marco was very pleased to see her blushing when she was human. He was so pleased, in fact, he danced around her singing, "Rachel is dee-leer-ee-us! Rachel is dee-leer-ee-us!"

            "Shut up!" Rachel said, kicking him hard the shins.

            He howled and jumped up and down, holding his leg. Pouting, he stopped singing and continued the way.

            Marco stopped a few feet away. His eyes were suddenly huge. I stared at him, unsure of what was going on. I suddenly saw something that looked oddly like a black velvet blanket creeping up his legs. I stepped forward.

            The thing covered his face, smothering his face. I jumped forward, but Ax had all ready abandoned Hermione's body and was lashing at it with his tail. This did nothing, and Marco continued to struggle. I heard him yelling.

            I ran over and tried to pull it off, but it was amazingly strong. I couldn't even budge it.

            Marco's struggles were beginning to get weaker. He was losing air and I was losing time.

            "_EXPECTO PATRONUM_!"

            Silver light exploded from somewhere behind me. A silver shape that looked somewhat like an otter darted forward and leapt on the living black cape. It slashed at Marco's attacker and bit down hard. In seconds, the otter had torn the cape to shreds.

            I turned around to see who had said the spell.

            And nearly had a heart attack.

            Hermione was standing there, looking very ill. Although her skin was no longer green or spotted, she was extremely pale. Her eyes held a deadened kind of look. She clutched her stomach in one hand and held her wand out with the other. She was breathing through her mouth and her nose was running.

            "Hermione!" Cassie yelled, hugging the girl about the shoulders.

            Hermione turned on heel and promptly vomited mostly water onto the ground behind her. Cassie jumped back.

            "What'd you do? Try to drown me?" Hermione asked in an oddly high-pitched voice.

            "You're _alive_!" I yelled in shock.

            She nodded and put one hand on the wall, leaning against it. "Yeah, and feeling like crap. If I had anything left in my stomach, I would still be throwing up."

            "But—but—but how? You were _dead_!"

            "No, not dead. The spell stops the body from working. The way Nundu's Breath works is that if the person is dead or seemingly dead, it goes away. I only _seemed_ dead. My Nundu's Breath is gone, but I'm still sick. Sorry I couldn't tell you about it, though. I didn't have time."

            "Oh." I said, "And by the way, what _was that cape thing?"_

            "A Lethifold."

            Hermione led the way from there. Marco was inches away, holding his wand high. A little while later, she doubled up and barfed again. "_Ooooh_," she moaned, "This is _nasty." She stumbled forward. "I don't think I'll ever be—AAAHHH!"_

            She screamed and dropped out of sight. "Hermione!" I yelled.

            Marco fell back. "There's a big hole right there! She just fell in!"

            I went down on my knees and crawled forward, making sure I wouldn't fall. I looked over the edge and saw Hermione clutching two outcrops on the side of the hole in trembling white fingers. She was all ready beginning to sweat.

            "Bottomless Pit," she croaked.

            "Hermione, take my hand," I said, stretching a hand down for her to take.

            Shaking worse now, she shook her head. "I can't," she whispered.

            "Yes, you can." I said firmly. I felt someone hold my legs. The person lowered me down. "One hand at a time. You can do this."

            Hermione looked up into my eyes and squared her jaw. She reached up and grabbed my hand so quickly it startled me. Her hand was slick with sweat. I grabbed her sleeve so she wouldn't fall.

            She grabbed my sleeve and I held her wrist. Blood rushed to my head. "Okay, guys," I choked out, "Bring us up."

            Slowly, oh so slowly, we were dragged up. Just when I thought we were safe, the person holding my legs let go.

            Hermione and I both yelled as we slid forward. I felt the person get my legs again right when it would have been too late. Now I, too, dangled perilously above the pit.

            "Sorry," grunted Cassie.

            "I'll forgive you as long as we get up safely," I replied weakly.

            I had a fierce headache by the time we were pulled to safety. I rubbed my head with my hands and winced.

            Breathing hard, Hermione said, "I'm going to levitate you across, okay?"

            I nodded, barely registering the fact that we probably could have morphed birds. I watched Tobias fly over and heard him land not too far away on the other side.

            "Can you jump that, Ax?" Hermione asked.

            Yes. Ax said, backing up and taking a leap. I heard something hit the other side and rocks tumbling down into the Bottomless Pit. I am okay, he reassured us when I called over to him.

            Hermione waved her wand and pointed it at me. "_Mobilarbus_!"

            I gasped as I felt my feet rise from the ground. I floated across the pit and landed in the darkness on the other side. Luckily for me, I was quite far away from the edge.

            Marco floated over next. Then came Rachel and finally Cassie. Marco managed to levitate Hermione over to safety.

            We continued on.

            Here the corridor took a turn. Hermione went around first and cried out. Thinking her injured or something, I ran over. Then I realized her shout had not been one of horror but of joy.

            A few yards away was a door. Light poured in through the cracks in the wall. Hermione yelled and ran forward in pure joy, only then to scream in pain.

            I ran forward and gasped. Things that looked like spiders that were red, furry, and had five legs were covering Hermione. I heard her shriek as they bit parts of her flesh away. I stood in shock.

            A huge fist punched me out of the way. A gorilla bounded past me, picked up Hermione, tucked her like a football under his arm, and ran. He ran straight into the door with an extended arm. With a crunch, the door exploded into splinters.

            We all ran after Marco. The five-legged spiders tried to come after us, but I stepped on all the ones I could. None escaped into the hall.

            I burst out into bright torchlight. Marco and Hermione were beating away the five-legged spiders that had tried to eat her. Her arms, legs, and face were covered in scratches and bight marks. There were large chunks taken out of her clothes. When all of them were gone, she spat on them and said, "Quintapeds." 

            "Are you okay?" I asked.

            She nodded grimly. "Now I am. C'mon, we shouldn't be standing around like this. The longer we stand here, the more of a chance Harry will be dead by the time we find him!" Without another word, she turned and sprinted down the hall.

            I didn't question her. I dashed down the hall after her, to get the boy we had gone through so much for to save.

A/N: Muahahaha! I bet you all thought I killed Hermione off, didn't you! I am evil! Anywho, sorry it took so long. I went on a little weekend vacation. Besides, this is my longest chapter. It's eleven pages long! Well, I have summer reading to read, reports to do…

**So stick around for my next chapter, "Chapter 27: Tortured Times (Harry)"! Love you all!**


	27. Tortured Times: Harry

Chapter 27 Tortured Times (Harry) 

            My name is Harry Potter.

            I yelled as Visser Five threw me to the ground in the Yeerk Pool. My scar was hurting so much that it was nearly blinding. Head hanging, I tried to lift myself up and was only pushed down again.

            Someone above me gave a cold laugh that was all too familiar. It made my heart turn to ice. The pain in my scar worsened and blurred my sight as I looked up into the face of Tom Marvolo Riddle.

            Lord Voldemort.

            Panting, I managed to gasp, "What do you want with me?"

            Voldemort chuckled. He idly twirled his wand through his fingers. "Surely you all ready know? No? Well, _I wish to destroy you once and for all. You of course know that. I'm just letting my… __friend Visser Three borrow you for a while. You do know of the Yeerks, do you not?"_

            Visser Five answered before I could. "Yes, Master. He came to me for help."

            Just hearing those first two words in Dumbledore's voice made all hopes of survival turn to dust. It made me feel as if I should just give up and die now…

            "You are a pathetic little fool, Harry Potter. To think people thought you had conquered me! Ha! I have returned, better and stronger than ever before! Now, before I hand you over to my… _trusted_ ally, I think I'll have a little fun. A dose of pain wouldn't hurt, now, would it?"

I spat on his feet. I had survived the Crucious Curse before. As long as he didn't kill me… not yet…

            "_Crucio_!"

            I couldn't stop the scream that sounded from my lips. I was vaguely aware of tears flooding my eyes, but I could not see. Pain had blinded me, made me numb. My organs could have ceased functioning and I wouldn't have noticed. The pain… so horrible…

            I think this went on for five minutes. I didn't know; all sense of time had fled with the pain's coming. It had seemed like eons when the Curse was released. I gasped and choked on air. I couldn't move. Or, at least, I couldn't have moved if I had tried.

            "How was that, Harry? Did you like it?"

            I clenched and unclenched my fists. I was slowly regaining usage of my limbs. When he least expected it, I rolled and dived as he shot another curse at me. I leapt to my feet and jumped over another.

            Thank God for my Quidditch reflexes!

            I ran straight at him. He raised his wand and was about to shout another curse when I hit him and shouldered him to the ground. I cried out in pain as my scar hurt its worst when our shoulders touched for that brief moment.

            Voldemort fell to the ground in a very ungraceful movement. Without pausing to think, I jumped on him. I yelled when I felt his cool skin brush mine. My head would _explode_ if I didn't get off him soon!

            I grabbed his wand arm and tried to get his wand from him. This wand would work for me. It was one of the two things that connected Voldemort and me. His wand and mine were one and the same. I was weakening with every struggle. My… scar… pain…

            I managed to wrap my fingers around it. I yelled the first word that came to mind: "_Expelliarmus_!"

            His wand, my wand, and Dumbledore's wand shot into the air. I rolled off Voldemort and caught the three. It was then I noticed that the Yeerk Pool was silent. Everyone was watching our struggle for life and death.

            Panting, tears flowing down my cheeks, I pointed them at him. My scar was throbbing, constantly reminding me that this was _Voldemort_, the man who had killed my parents, Cedric, and Ron.

            Voldemort looked coolly up at me with his red, snake-like eyes. "Do you really want to kill me, Harry?" he asked in a whisper. "Do you really want to become a murderer?"

            I spat at him, my heart beating rapidly. "You're the murderer, not me. You killed my parents. You killed Cedric. You killed loads of innocent muggles and wizards alike. Why should I spare you?"

            "You would only be like me if you killed me, Harry: a murderer. Is that really what you want?"

            "If I kill you, it won't be murder. You aren't human enough for it to be considered a murder. I'll be doing the world a favor."

            "No, Harry, you are wrong. _I_'m doing the world a favor. I'm getting rid of the filth that plagues us. What need is there for muggles? For half bloods? For Mudbloods?"

            "I'm a half blood, Voldemort. You sure aren't doing _me_ a favor by killing me off. Why don't you just kill yourself off, if half bloods are such 'filth'? Aren't you a half blood? You're no better than me."

            "Oh, I am. I'm much better. You live to protect this filth. I live to destroy it. That is why you should not be permitted to live. I make up for my faults."

            "You are nothing _but_ faults."

            "Harry, do you know _why_ I was going to spare your mother and kill you?"

            I swear my heart nearly stopped beating. Yes, I wanted to know! But—but hadn't Dumbledore said…

            "I only killed your father because he put up a fight…"

            I wanted to know, but at the same time I didn't. What if he were lying? What if he was being truthful?

            "I wanted to kill you, however, to kill you because—"

            "NO!"

            The words exploded from me. I opened my mouth to shout a spell—any spell—to shut him up, but Voldemort was saying something…

            "_Strike now, my pet_!"

            I whirled. A large snake, Nagini I remembered from my dreams, lunged out at me. "_No_! _Stop_!" I shrieked in Parseltongue, throwing my arms up to protect my face.

            Nagini dropped, confused. Who was she to listen to?

            "_Bite the boy_! _Tear him_!" Voldemort demanded shrilly. Nagini moved to do as he said but I interjected.

            "_No_! _Leave me be_!" I yelled.

            While I was momentarily distracted, Voldemort dived at my legs and knocked me off my feet. I howled in pain and shock as I fell. Voldemort wrenched the wands out of my hand and pointed them at me, screaming, "_Crucio_!"

            Back rushed the pain, three times as strong. I knew right there and then that I wanted to _die_, that I didn't want to live. What was there to live for if I knew only pain? All things but the pain disappeared. No longer could I think, no longer could I remember.

            I don't know how long he kept the Curse on me. At one point, I felt like I was some bystander watching someone else being tortured. Somehow, I was just floating outside my body, away from the pain.

            I wish it could have lasted forever.

            I snapped back to reality when the spell was lifted. My throat was torn from relentless screaming. I could feel it bleeding. I had deep scratches in my palms from where my fingernails had bitten into them. My mouth was dry. Breathing was painful. I couldn't focus my eyes.

            "How do you feel now, Harry?" Voldemort taunted, standing over me. His face swam in and out vision.

            I tried to answer, but I only spat up blood. I coughed, pain searing in my throat. Blood slid down my cheek. I gasped.

            "Interesting, what fifteen minutes Crucious Curse can do to you," he said dispassionately.

            I spat at his feet, bloodying the hem of his robes and his shiny black shoes.

            He sneered at me. "I see your spirit is not yet broken. I wonder, can you resist the Imperious Curse?"

            He pointed his wand at me and said the spell. My pain drifted away into a blissful abyss. My eyes slid back out of focus. I felt a small smile touch my lips.

            "_Do you like the pain, Harry_?"

            "No." I said, though it caused blood to dribble down my chin.

            "_Do you want to die_?"

            "Sometimes. But Hermione and Sirius need me. Dumbledore needs to be saved. I can't just die and leave them."

            "_Do you hate me_?"

            "With every fiber in my body."

            "_Who told you about the Yeerk invasion_?"

            I thought about this last one. Most of me wanted to tell him "the Animorphs" but a tiny voice in the back of my head was screaming at me. "Don't betray them!" it shrieked, "Don't say anything?"

            "Why not?" I wondered vaguely, the question coming from my lips as a mumble.

            "Because they're your friends! They trust you! Don't let Hermione down! Do it for Ron!"

            "_What_? _What did you say_?" demanded Voldemort.

            This last statement to myself jerked me. I had friends that trusted me not to turn them over. No matter how good this spell made me feel, I couldn't tell. I felt my eyes focusing again.

            "No," I whispered.

            "What?"

            "NO!" I screamed, spraying blood in all directions.

            Voldemort swore and ended the spell. He pointed his wand at me and yelled a spell. I flew off my feet and slammed into the concrete wall. I gasped as all the wind was knocked from my lungs. My glasses flew from my nose. I slid down the wall and, as I did so, felt something wet trickle down the back of my neck. I touched it and my fingers came away bloody.

            I crawled forward on my hands and knees, frantically searching for my glasses. I was nearly blind without them. "_Ooooh_," I groaned.

            "Stop it right there, Lord Voldemort."

            I froze. Slowly, I looked up to see who had spoken. Even though he was extremely fuzzy, I could make out that long dark hair. I could see that skinny wrist that protruded from the black robes as he held a wand pointed at my torturer. I could see that once-handsome face that was screwed up in a look of total hatred. I could see the dark, hollow eyes that glittered in the candlelight.

            "Sirius," I croaked, eyes huge, "No!"

            I found my glasses and shoved them on. Weary as I was, I surged to my feet. I ran to my godfather. Every step made my legs throb.

            Voldemort raised an eyebrow. "Sirius Black?" he laughed. "What are _you_ going to do?"

            I could almost feel the rage Sirius was barely containing. He was shaking with fury. "I'm going to kill you," he said, voice oddly calm, "You've killed my best friend, turned one traitor, and left the other to grieve alone. I can't let you live because of that."

            I stopped, panting, beside him. "Sirius, no. You can't do this." I rasped.

            Sirius looked at me and jumped. I could only guess how horrible I looked. I turned just as Voldemort said a spell. I quickly tackled Sirius and we both rolled over the stone ground.

            The spell hit the stone with a loud crack. Where there was once floor there was now a deep crater. Sirius said a spell as we rolled. I felt my throat heal. The heavy pain in my limbs lifted. I looked down at my palms in amazement. The scratches had healed over without scars. I was suddenly very energetic.

            I gasped when I saw Sirius. Blood bubbled at his lips when he tried to speak. He looked very tired, very suddenly. It was then it occurred to me he had taken on all my injuries so that I would have a fighting chance.

            He pressed his wand into my hand, eyes full of meaning where his lips moved soundlessly. I nodded and whispered, "Thanks." He smiled thinly.

            I heard Voldemort say a spell behind me. I jumped up and whirled, shouting, "_Protego_!"

            Voldemort's spell hit my shield with such force that I was thrown from my feet. Spots exploded in my vision. No sooner had I hit the ground than I was on my feet again, shouting a spell to protect Sirius. Voldemort easily reflected it with a shield spell of his own.

            Because the wand I was using wasn't my own, the strength in my spells weren't happening. As we fought (we weren't really dueling), I was vaguely aware of an uproar from those watching. I glanced down when I could afford to and my expression brightened.

            The Order of the Phoenix was here!

            I fought with more vigor than before. I actually had a fighting chance at wining. As long as I could stay alive…

            I nearly jumped out of my skin when a world-shattering roar split the din. Voldemort and I both looked over to see what had happened. At the door of the Yeerk Pool stood a tiger, and with it a bear. An Andalite leapt nimbly down the stairs. Somewhere behind the bear and tiger a wolf howled, joined by the hooting of a gorilla. A hawk shrieked and glided into the room. And with the animals, wand alight, jaw set into a determined line, stood Hermione.

            The Animorphs were here!

            And with them a new hope.

            I turned back to Voldemort with a new determination.

            He was going down! 

**A/N: Wah hoo! How was that? I've finished my summer reading _and_ another chapter! Stay tuned for Chapter 28: In the Heat of Battle (Tobias)! **


	28. In the Heat of Battle: Tobias

Chapter 28 In the Heat of Battle (Tobias) 

            My name is Tobias.

            And I was flying over a Yeerk Pool I had just discovered existed.

            Havoc reigned below me. I had to dodge a few wild jinxes. I caught sight of a man with long mousy brown hair with gray streaks jugging down the contents of a goblet, tossing it aside, and charging into the battle with his wand raised. I saw a young woman with purple hair and a heart-shaped face taking on five Controllers. I watched with amazement as two red-haired people who could only be Ron's parents fighting the onslaught of Hork-Bajir.

            Jake had leapt into the battle and was fighting three Taxxons at a time. Rachel was at his side, attacking those who came at his unprotected back. Cassie and Marco were at the other side of the room. Ax was at the center, tail flashing. He looked exhausted but that didn't seem to slow him down.

            It was, after all, the day before the full moon.

            Shrieking my best red-tailed shriek, I dived. I slashed at the eyes of a Hork-Bajir with my talons. It bellowed in pain and tried to get at me with its wrist blades but I was all ready gone, diving at a Controller.

            When I rose above the chaos I caught sight of Harry. He had a wand that, as I could tell with my superb sight, wasn't his. His face was flushed with anger. His eyes had a maniac spark of determination in them. I looked over to see whom he was battling and nearly fell out of the air.

            He has got to be the most ugly man I have ever seen. He had no hair to speak of. His eyes were blood red with black slits for pupils. He had two slits for nostrils, like a snake. He was sheet white. I doubt he could get a tan if he tried. His lipless mouth was curled into a sneer. He was tall and lean and moved like a shadow.  His hands were like large, pale, five-legged spiders.

            This could only be the infamous Lord Voldemort.

            I took a closer look at Harry. Now I could see that his teeth were gritted in pain. He was falling back. His spells were becoming feeble. He needed someone to help him… and quickly!

            Harry! I called.

            He looked wildly over his shoulder and up. He nodded at me and returned to his battle. Harry, listen. I need to acquire you. It'll help you. I'll help you.

            "Fine!" he yelled, "Distraction!"

            I sighed inwardly and dived. There was a good chance Voldemort could hit me in midair. Thankfully, he was tangled with Harry and couldn't get me. I raked his bare head with my talons, drawing blood that had an almost metallic glint to it. 

            He bellowed in pain, buying me time to go acquire Harry. He became impassive for a moment, but quickly snapped back to himself. He shouted a spell at Voldemort that caused the vile man to fly backward.

            I landed and quickly morphed. I sprouted to about five feet five inches. My feathers melted and became skin. My eyesight dimmed and became even worse than a normal human's. I swore silently when I realized he was nearsighted. I fingered the morphing outfit that appeared along with my skin with melting feather-fingers. Wild, jet-black hair grew on my shifting head. A tingling sensation filled my chest. I numbly got to my feet. That's when the pain started.

            It hit with such force that I forgot to cry out. My head felt like it was splitting in half! It was nearly blinding. My knees buckled and collapsed.

            How could Harry stand it?

            I felt something flutter down around me. I dumbly felt it. It was Harry's robes. I quickly shrugged into them. Beside me I found a pair of glasses. I fumbled to open them and shoved them on. Everything became clear. He pulled me to my feet. I blinked in confusion. He was wearing glasses too.

            He saw my puzzled look. "An extra pair," he grunted as he dropped to avoid a curse that came his way.

            I gasped and dodged a spell that came flying at me. I was shocked to feel how quickly and smoothly I moved. He had amazing reflexes!

            Harry was on his feet again. I scrambled up and stood next to him. "Hey, Voldemort! Which one of us is the _real_ Harry?"

            Voldemort literally shook with rage. He pointed a wand at me and roared a spell, the look on his face etched into the word "imposter". I tried to dodge but it was too late. The scarlet light caught me full in the chest.

            I screamed without hearing it. I could barely feel it in my throat. My eyes rolled up into my head. My back arched. I kicked wildly. It was horrible! It felt like that, instead of blood, fire coursed through my veins. My head felt like it was going to explode. The agony was so great that I wanted to die, just to put an end to it…

            It ended as abruptly as it had started. I was suddenly able to see again. My throat was raw. I ached all over. My limbs felt like lead.

            Harry started to drag me to my feet. I nodded my thanks and staggered upright. As I looked into his haunted eyes, I wondered how many times he had undergone that torture.

            We sprang apart when a curse flew at us. With identical movements, we rolled and got to our feet. As Harry yelled a spell, I lunged. I hit Voldemort full in the chest. The spell grazed my hair and singed it. The pain in my head—my scar, I realized later—had reached such a pitch that I couldn't think clearly.

I swung my fist wildly and caught his jaw. He snarled in fury. I grabbed his wand arm and tried to wrestle the three from him. 

This was no easy feat. Though he didn't look it, Voldemort was really very strong. He tried to toss me aside but I clutched his arm in a death grip. I wrapped my wingers around the three wands. Behind of me I was vaguely aware of Harry screaming, "_Accio wands_!"

I yelled in shock as I flew backward, still holding the wands. I fell midway through the journey. I saw Harry catch the wands and grin manically. He picked one from the bunch and tossed it to me. I caught it and looked down, suddenly confused. Why was Harry throwing me _his_ wand?

I looked at him and realized he was holding a wand identical to the one I was holding however beat up his was. I knew by glance that this couldn't be Dumbledore's wand. It could only be Voldemort's. 

            Harry turned to Voldemort, wand pointed at the man's chest. He jerked his head. "Up."

            Voldemort slowly got to his feet. Something in the way he looked at us made me realize he was calculating his next plans. Be ready for him to do something, I said in private thought-speak.

            He dipped his head in a nod. I felt—_felt_—a surge of hatred from Voldemort. Harry and I cried out in pain. I nearly dropped my wand. It _hurt_!

            Harry's knees buckled and he fell. I looked over with wide eyes. Maybe—just maybe—the pain was stronger for him because he was the real Harry.

            I waved my wand, closed my eyes, and said the first spell that came to mind: "_Expecto Patronum_!"

            I don't know why I shouted that particular one. I think it might because it was one of the last spells I had seen Harry do. Silver mist issued from the tip of my wand. In the mist I made out a vague shape that looked almost like…

            "Andalite?" demanded Voldemort, stopping and raising his eyebrows.

            "Andalite?" croaked Harry in puzzlement.

            "Andalite?" I wondered with awe.

            Voldemort laughed a shrill, high-pitched laugh that sent a chill down my spine. He threw his head back and roared his laughter to the ceiling. Harry and I glanced at each other. We didn't see what was so hysterically funny.

            "You fool!" crowed Voldemort, grinning manically at me. "Don't you realize what you've done?"

            I stood and gaped open-mouthed at him.

            "You've given yourself away. Now I know which one is the real Harry Potter. Have you never seen his Patronus? It is a stag. Now you—you clearly are one of the Andalite bandits." He smiled thinly. "Or a human posing as an Andalite bandit."

            I carefully wiped all trace of emotion off my face, just like Ax would have done. "You have guessed correctly, Lord Voldemort. I am one of the Andalite bandits."

            Voldemort's nostrils flared, as if he smelled something horrible. His eyes narrowed and he hissed, "_Liar_."

            I felt my heart leap into my throat. Was he guessing or did he _know_?

            And if he knew, _how_ did he know?

            "_Incendio_!"

            I whirled to see who had said the spell. Hermione stood beside Harry, wand pointed. Voldemort's robes were on fire. He hissed and beat the flames out.

            I quickly threw off Harry's robes. Sorry, I told them both in private thought-speak, but I have to go help the others. Good luck.

            I rapidly demorphed back to red-tailed hawk. As soon as I had, I flapped off into the air.

            I looked down to see the fifteen-year-old boy, who was my age but older in so many ways, fighting the man who had killed his parents and best friend. He had tears in his eyes. Of what? Sorrow? Gratitude? Relief?

            As I watched him, though I didn't voice it, I wished him the best of luck from deep in my heart.

            And that seemed to be just the thing he needed.

A/N: Sorry it's not that long, but I have plans for the next chapter and I can't wait to write them down. Yes, to all those who noticed, I have changed my penname to: Siriusly Padfoot 12. Remember, no book 5 spoilers in the reviews. I know that if you have read the book you know why Voldemort can tell fib from truth. Sssh! 

**Stick around for my next chapter: "Chapter 29: The Living Undead (Hermione)". Hmmm, what happens in next chapter, you wonder? Hmm…**


	29. Till Death Do Us Part: HermioneHarry

Chapter 29 Till Death Do Us Part (Hermione/Harry) 

            My name is Hermione Granger.

            And I was locked in battle with none other than Lord Voldemort.

            The sight of him made me tremble but I did my best to hold my wand steady. Harry was in obvious pain. I couldn't imagine the agony he was feeling in his scar, being as close to Voldemort as he was.

            I had to help him fight.

            Once Tobias had flown away, Voldemort had retrieved his wand. He and Harry were dueling, with me throwing in the occasional jinx. They both moved constantly so it was hard to pick a target.

            Then Voldemort said two words that made me scream.

            "_Avada Kedavra_!"

            Harry, also very aware of this, shouted hysterically, "_Expelliarmus_!"

            The green smoke and scarlet jet of light collided in midair, causing gold sparks to fly everywhere. I threw up my hands to protect my face. When I looked again, a single thread of golden light connected both Voldemort and Harry's wands.

            I gasped with awe, eyes becoming as round as galleons. The thread looked unbelievingly delicate but held firm with unwavering strength. Phoenix song trilled and echoed throughout the Yeerk Pool, momentarily slowing the battle below. The beautiful, unearthly song made my heart swell.

            I felt the air around me compress and contract. With a sound like a sonic boom, the thread exploded into an intricate doming web. I was thrown from my feet and tossed like a rag doll across the room. I slammed into the wall and slid down it, temporarily stunned.

            I squinted and looked up when I came to myself. Everything inside the web dome of light was slightly hazy. However, I could make out most things, like the fact that Harry looked heartened and was concentrating and that Voldemort looked—scared?

            Beads of light had formed on the thread. They were inching down the thread toward Voldemort's wand. Every centimeter that disappeared between them and the wand somehow made Voldemort's fear increase.

            I was dimly aware that Harry was muttering something under his breath. I knew this only because I could see his lips moving; I could hear nothing inside the dome.

            Then, the beads of light connected with Voldemort's wand.

            Screams split the air like knives. I had to clap my hands to my ears. My knees buckled and collapsed. I screwed my eyes shut and didn't look up until they had stopped.

            And my heart skipped a beat.

            There were _ghosts_ inside the dome!

            I'm afraid I can't explain what happened next. Harry is going to have to do that…

~*~

            My name is Harry Potter.

            And I was very aware of what was going to happen after the golden beads had touched Voldemort's wand. I was both terrified and joyful, which horrified me even more. How could I be glad of what was going to happen next?

            I watched the spells Voldemort had just preformed come flying out his wand. The one that he favored in particular was Crucious Curse. That and the Death Spell.

            I watched the phantom hand that flew out of the tip of the wand and disappeared. More screams, and then out of the wand came the boy I now saw every night in my nightmares. Cedric Diggory stood and beamed at me. "Thanks, Harry, for bringing my body back. You can do this, Harry. I know you can."

            Tears sprang to my eyes. Embarrassed, I fiercely wiped them away. I had to concentrate.

The old muggle Frank Bryce was next. He smiled encouragingly at me. "So it's you again, eh? You get him, boy. He deserves all the pain he gets."

            Then came Bertha Jorkins. "Concentrate, Harry, that's the key. You've done this before. You can do it again!"

            I knew who was coming next. My heart jumped into my throat. My nose was running and tears flowed down my cheeks, but I didn't try to wipe them away. I watched as the person fell out of the wand and stood upright. She was in both my dreams and nightmares. Her dying pleads filled my head when Dementors came near. Her love had left a mark on me, so deep that it had stopped Voldemort from killing me.

            Lily Potter smiled at me, ghost tears in her own eyes. "Hello, darling. I had hoped that it wouldn't come to this again. You don't deserve anything like this in your life. You're only fifteen. And you look just like your father. But you have my eyes. I had always hoped when I was alive that you'd grow up into a fine young man, and you have. Oh, you have. I will be able to rest in peace when you have conquered Voldemort because you are everything I had hoped you to be."

            While Lily—my mother—had been talking, James—my father—had come to stand beside her. He squeezed her shoulder with his transparent hand. As I looked at him, I could tell that I _did_ look like him. The only differences, perhaps, were our eyes, our heights, our noses, and my scar. His eyes were hazel, as I could tell from pictures of him. He was taller than me. He had a longer nose and no scar. In every other way, though, I was just like him.

            "Hey, Dad," I whispered.

            "Hello, son," James Potter said. "You need to get away from here and find help. Then you can return to your duel. You are not old enough to beat him by yourself yet. Now, the others and I will give you time to run. God help you, Harry, my son."

            I nodded. The ghosts encircled Voldemort. When they had done this, my dad shouted, "Now!"

            With an almighty wrench, I managed to jerk my wand upward. The phoenix song died instantly. I fell to the ground and saw Hermione huddled by the wall, watching with wide eyes. I ran to her, dragged her to her feet, and ran.

~*~

            My name is Hermione Granger.

            There was a gray void at the corners of my eyes. It was slowly spreading and taking over my vision.

Harry was pulling me by the arm. I didn't know how his mind could function so clearly after what had happened. I had seen his parents' _ghosts_ up there talking to him! It had traumatized me, so how had it affected him?

            He dragged me into the chaos. The gray had turned to black. It wrapped itself around my brain and all conscious thoughts stopped.

By the time I had come to again, I was lying in a secluded corner and Harry was crouched over me, slapping my face. One arm was wrapped uncomfortably around my shoulders. I gasped and uttered a tiny shriek. He stopped.

            "Hermione!" Harry cried, relieved.

            "Horrible…" I said, tears prickling in my eyes to my great embarrassment.

            "I know," he said.

            "I don't ever want it to happen again."

            He held me with arms now, but I was too weak to protest. "Me too," he whispered into my ear, his lips tickling my ear.

            I looked into his eyes. "You never told me what happened to Ron. Can you tell me now?" I asked, weakly struggling to sit up.

            He helped me and bowed his head. "He resisted his Yeerk and took control of his body when his Yeerk was dragging me down to the Yeerk Pool. We were on those stairs" —he pointed to a tall staircase that had no railing— "on the platform. He fell off backwards. I heard him hit the ground. He's—he's—"

            He couldn't say it, but I understood. 

"No," I whispered, tears trickling down my face.

            Harry looked away. "I wish. At least—at least he's free now."

            I nodded, tears flowing silently down my cheeks. "Yeah."

            "Give me liberty or give me death," he whispered, his own eyes spilling over.

            For a few minutes, we both sat in silence and sobbed quietly to ourselves. I could tell by the look on his face that this was the first chance he had gotten to grieve his best friend's death. He held my hand in his. I squeezed it gently. He had lost so much…

            We were unaware of the battle that was going on around us. For a moment, it had all stopped and we were two people mourning the death of a loved one.

            "Harry," I said, "what I was trying to say in the common room… what I was trying to say was—"

            Harry held my eyes. "Yes?"

            "I wanted to tell you—"

            A voice drifted over to me and made me break off. "How _very _touching."

            That voice—it was so familiar—but it couldn't be!

            I looked over and gasped. Ron! Ron, our best friend! I jumped to my feet with a strangled cry of joy. It was as if he were back from the dead! Harry was on his feet too. I went to run forward and hug my red-haired friend but Harry caught my shoulder and held me back.

            I stared at him. He was sitting in some sort of device that looked almost like a wheelchair but had no wheels and floated of its own accord. I could tell that this was no magic.

            It was technology.

            "But—but—" I stammered, "Muggle technology doesn't work at Hogwarts!"

            Ron chuckled, a low and evil sound that didn't suit him. "Yes, Hermione, the smart one. The know-it-all. I told Visser Three that we should have infested you. You would have been very useful. Alas, no one listened to me."

            He moved forward. I watched him draw an odd-looking metallic object from the wheel-less wheelchair. A glance of it told me that it was a weapon, probably a gun. Harry became rigid.

            "How?" I whispered.

            "What? That I'm alive? That the technology works? Well, I'm alive because of technology. Unfortunately, I'm paralyzed from the waist down. The technology… well, that works because Voldemort took off the spell preventing technology down here. It was at its weakest here and he was able to remove it quite easily."

            He turned to Harry and pressed a button on the gun that made it hum. "I'm sorry, Harry, but I have to kill you now." He started to press the trigger but then Harry interrupted with, "Why? Why kill me? Aren't I valuable to the Yeerks? Doesn't _Voldemort_ want to kill me?"

            Ron sighed and drummed his fingers against his floating wheelchair. "It is true that you're valuable to the Yeerk. And, yes, Voldemort _does_ want to kill you. But that's too bad for him, because _I_ want to kill you too. I, Istrum 542, need to kill you. You're the reason this body is paralyzed. Visser Three has told me that I am to be staying with this body for the rest of my Yeerk life. It is your fault I am stuck in this pathetic boy. You are the reason he caused us to fall off backward from the stairs. It's time for revenge, Harry. Goodbye."

            Ron—or rather, Istrum—took aim at Harry's head. He jerked violently and I thought with relief, "Ron! The _real Ron!" but it was too late. Istrum had pulled the trigger. The laser bullet shot out of the gun too fast for either Harry or I to react. Because of Ron's jerk it went off course but still struck its target. It went clean through Harry's abdomen._

            I screamed. For a moment, I could see straight through Harry's stomach and at the wall. Then the blood began to flow. His eyes bulged and he coughed up blood. He clapped his hands to the plate-sized hole and slid, twitching, down the wall.

            Istrum cursed and banged the gun. "Why didn't work right? It was supposed to blow all his molecules apart and it just made a big mess by making a hole through him stomach! Ahhh, well, he'll die anyway."

            Sobbing, I ran to my fallen friend. He smiled tightly up at me. "Give me liberty…" he panted with effort, "Or give me death."

            I was vaguely aware of Istrum shrieking and being thrown from his floating wheelchair. I heard his skull crack against the pavement but I didn't move.

            "Harry, Harry, don't die," I whispered, holding his head.

            "I can't do anything about it, Hermione. Neither of us knows healing magic. I don't have a potion and neither do you. I'll—I'll say hi to my parents for you."

            My tears spilled onto his face and mingled with his. "Don't talk like that," I said hoarsely, "You're going to make it."

            "I know reality far too well to deny it. This is fatal." Harry replied. He looked up at me and stroked my cheek with a feeble and bloody hand. "When Dumbledore is free, tell him I'm sorry. Tell Sirius that—that I loved him like I would have my dad. He _was my father. Tell the Weasleys thanks for everything they've ever done for me. And—and you, Hermione…"_

            "Yes?" I whispered.

            "Hermione…" he croaked. His head tipped back and his eyes closed. His lips parted. I frantically felt for a pulse.

            There wasn't one.

            "Harry," I said, stroking his face. Tears blurred my vision. I knew he couldn't hear me, but I told him what I'd meant to tell him for a long time. "I love you, Harry. I've loved you ever since you saved me from that troll in first year. At first it had just been a crush, but then after everything that happened to us… it made me love you. I've always been too afraid to tell you. I wish I could have told you, Harry. I'll say it again. I love you, and I always have. I love you."

            I leaned over him and took his lifeless face in my hands. I kissed his cold, bloody lips. He didn't move. I could feel his blood on my lips, like some grotesque lipstick. It was also on my tongue, salty and coppery tasting. I wanted him to tell me that he loved me too, that he always had, that he'd just been too afraid that I wouldn't feel the same.

            But I would never hear those words. He was dead. I was loving someone who couldn't love me back.

            I tilted my head back and howled my misery to the ceiling. Harry was dead, and with him my love.

            I will never be able to love again.

A/N (September 2nd): Wow! Two chapters in one day! Now, I know that if you were expecting something it wasn't this. Please don't be discouraged and stop reading the story. There is more, a lot more actually. Besides, something could happen…

**::coughs:: About the Harry/Hermione romance, I have been writing this _before_ book 5. (Not that there was any Hermione romance action, but hey!)**

**Anyway, why did I change my penname? Because Sirius is awesome! Also, I've recently gained the nickname "Padfoot" and decided that the change would be fitting.**

**Stick around for "Chapter 30: Life if Harsh (Rachel)"! All will be revealed in the end (_no_, this is _not_ the end)!**

A/N (September 4th): Yes, I did change the chapter title. This one seems… more fitting. 


	30. Life is Harsh: Rachel

Chapter 30 Life is Harsh (Rachel) 

            My name is Rachel.

            I was protecting Jake's back from attack, as he was mine. Human-Controllers came at us from all sides, getting at us with long swords they probably found somewhere in the school.

            I had only seen few Dracon beam flashes. How they were working was a mystery to me and I had no time to ponder in the middle of an attack.

            The tide of Controllers was starting to slow. The wounded and unconscious were starting to pile up. We never harmed a human. It was an unwritten rule.

            Rachel? Jake asked.

            Yeah? I grunted, tossing a screaming Controller away with an effortless nudge of my paw. 

            Do you know where Harry and Hermione are?

            I scanned the area with my dim eyesight. The flashes of the duel between Harry and Voldemort had stopped. I don't know, Jake, but you know my eyesight isn't all that great.

            Go find them. I'll be fine. I can handle it all from here.

            You sure?

            I'm sure I'm sure.

            I smiled inwardly and bounded off. Perhaps Harry had won. Maybe, though, maybe he was being infested again…

            Tobias! I called.

            Rachel?

            Do you know where Harry and Hermione are?

            Well, I just saw Harry dragging Hermione into the battle. She looked as if she were unconscious. There were just a ton of ghosts surrounding Voldemort, Rachel. You should have seen them. One looked like Harry. I think it might have been his dad.

            So where are they?

            I lost them. They disappeared into the crowd.

            'Kay. Thanks anyway, I said, easily flicking away another human-Controller.

            I ran through the battle. Ax, Marco, and Cassie seemed to be doing all right. From the looks of it, we were winning. The Controllers who weren't unconscious were wounded enough that they couldn't fight back and there weren't that many Hork-Bajir or Taxxons.

            A wail or an animal's shriek, I couldn't tell which, pierced the air. It made me stumble. I could feel its magical reinforcement in the air. I felt the pure sorrow and despair in it without knowing how. 

            I ran after the sound. Whatever had made the noise might be dangerous. And if it was, I would have to bring it down.

            A scent filled my nostrils. It was a familiar scent: two humans, female and male, dirty, bloody, magical. I bounded after it. When it seemed close by, I was standing in an abandoned corner. At least, it looked abandoned until I made out two forms. From their scents, it was Harry and Hermione.

            I quickly demorphed. Hermione was kneeling beside Harry, who seemed to have taken some sort of stomach injury. Blood pooled around his inanimate body. She had her head pressed against his and was sobbing. I slowly walked over. I couldn't see whether he was breathing or not.

            "Hermione?" I asked softly. This was Cassie's kind of thing, not mine.

            Hermione lifted her head and looked at me. She was extremely pale. A trail of blood ran down one cheek. Her lips were covered in it. Tears cut through the blood, washing it away a little. Her eyes were hooded and hollowed.

            "Rachel?" she whispered.

            I slowly stepped forward. The stone was rough against my feet as it had not been against my paws. I felt the blood against my feet and shuddered a little. I slowly knelt down by her and took her shoulder in my hand. "What happened? Is Harry still alive?"

            Hermione looked down at Harry. He wasn't moving. "He's… he's… not alive anymore. Ron—Istrum, his Yeerk… shot him. He lived long enough to tell me that he'd say… hello to his parents for me."

            I chewed on my lip. What was I supposed to do? The girl was obviously traumatized for life. She had watched one of her best friends kill the other off, and then watched as he died. I awkwardly put my arm around her shoulder and gave her a little sideways hug.

            As I said, this was more a Cassie kind of thing.

            She threw herself on my and sobbed into my shoulder. I was shocked at first and crouched there, extremely stiff. Then I kind of relaxed into it and patted her back.

            This wasn't so hard.

            She mumbled something into my shoulder.

            "What?"

            "I loved him," she whispered, "And I never got a chance to tell him. I tried. And he had something to tell me before he died. He told me he had to tell me something and then he just died."

            Never mind what I said about this being not so hard.

            I became stiff again and looked at her in a kind of stupor. What was I supposed to do know?

            She still clutched Harry's wrist in a death grip. Gently at first, then more hard, I pried her fingers off. As I said, she had it in a death grip. 

            I got to my feet and took her with me. I grabbed her shoulder. "Hermione, there's nothing you can do now. It's not your fault. We have to go back to the battle. More people will die if we don't do something. Do you want others to feel as your feeling now?"

            She looked up at me with tear-filled eyes and slowly shook her head.

            "C'mon, then, and we'll go stop that."

            "Okay," she said softly.

            I morphed back to grizzly. When I had done that, we both ran off to help the others.

            Rachel! _There you are! Tobias yelled, sounding relieved._

            What? What's the matter? I asked.

            Marco and Cassie are down. They've both blacked out. I don't even know if Cassie's still alive or not, her breathing in so shallow. Marco is still breathing, but he's fading fast. It's almost dusk. The moon will be up soon. We might lose Ax for a little while. Have you got Hermione? He didn't wait for me to answer. Good.

            I felt my heart sinking horribly. We were _losing_? That definitely wasn't good. We were talking about a few hundred, if not a few thousand, lives here. We couldn't afford to lose this battle.

            As this realization dawned on me, I told myself not for the first time that life is harsh. Things happened that no one wanted. Some things mowed others down and left them in the dust. Some lives are destroyed in the process. There is no other way around it.

            Life is harsh.

~*~

            My name is…

            I don't remember my name anymore. I don't remember how old I am or what I look like. I don't know how long I've been standing on the thin line between life and the black abyss that is death.

            All I know is pain. I hurt all over. It's more horrible than words can explain. It weighs down my limbs and slows my heart and lungs.

            There are people near me. I don't know how many. They seem like a thousand. My head pounds worse as their harsh voices reach my ears.

            Who am I?

            I ponder this question. All I know that, slowly, I am morphing. Or demorphing. Am I human? Am I alien? Am I only an animal with sentient thought?

            Slowly I change. Slowly the pain ebbs. How long has this been going on? Eons? It seems like that.

            Brief flashes of my life creep across my mind's eye. I see people. Seven people. I remember some names. Animorphs. Wizards. Am I an Animorph? Am I a wizard?

            Someone needs to help me. I'm going to fall off the side of the tightrope I walk that drops into oblivion. All my conscious thoughts are slipping. I'm losing too much blood, I can feel it. It is vague, like I don't have a body other than pain.

            Some part of my mind is making me morph. Or demorph. A desperate animal instinct is keeping me from falling into death's clutches. Death tugs on me, pulls me down. It seems so welcoming, but I cannot give in…

            I can remember that there are people who need me. There are a lot of them. Who are they? Who am I?

            All sense of time is lost to me. I could have been here seconds. I could all ready be in my grave. Yet, where I sit is wet. It is water or my own blood? Does my precious life fluid pool around me?

            I'm wobbling dangerously. The thin line between me in death is shifting away from me. I fight to stand upright. I am fighting a fight for my life and losing it. This cannot be! I've held on for too long!

            I keep morphing at a snail's pace. There is nothing I can do but morph and wait…

            Wait…

            Morph and wait.

**A/N: The plot thickens! Who could this mysterious person be? Marco? Cassie? ::evil cackle::**

**  
Before I end my little author's note, I want to thank all who review. This story it by far my most popular story. It has the most reviews I've ever received. It is the longest thing I have ever written, original or fan fiction. It'll probably be the first ever story I have ever finished. The only reason I'm doing this is because people expect me to finish (yeah, okay, so I'm having fun writing it too). It drives me to finish and not quit half-way through. Thanks a whole bunch!**

**Stay tuned for my next chapter, "Chapter 31: Freedom's Price (Ron)"!**


	31. Freedom's Price: Ron

Chapter 31 Freedom's Price (Ron) 

            My name is Ron Weasley.

            I slowly eased into consciousness. My head pounded. As always, I couldn't feel my legs. 

Istrum opened my eyes and blinked. He slowly pushed me upright. Something wet trickled down the side of my face. Istrum touched it. My fingers came away bloody.

            "_Ow," he said fervently._

            "No kidding," I said sarcastically.

            Shut up, he snarled. He looked around and saw the floating wheelchair. It was no longer floating and the metal on one side had melted and cooled. He cursed darkly.

            "What are you going to do _now?" I taunted._

            I told you to shut up!

            He propped me up on my elbows and surveyed our surroundings. Nothing was really going on in this corner of the room. He looked over to where Harry had been the last time we had seen him.

            Istrum smiled. I wailed in despair, a wail that never left my lips.

            Harry was slumped against the wall. There was a hole right through him, about the size of a small plate. Blood was still oozing out of the wound. His lips were parted and blue. Dried blood stuck on his chin. His glasses were wet and there were trails through the blood on his face.

            See what has become of your precious hero now, Ronniekins?

            "NOOO!" I yelled. I took my magic and shoved against the Yeerk. Hot tears of fury and sorrow rolled down my cheeks. My back arched for that one moment I was in control. My hands balled into fists and I howled a war cry.

            Istrum tried to regain control. I rebelled, screaming and swinging my fists at some invisible opponent. "No!" I yelled, "No, no, _no_!"

            Istrum silenced me. My words stopped as I formed them on my tongue. I screamed in the little corner of my mind I possessed. My prison. After a while, I subsided into disbelieving silence.

            This had to be a dream. A nightmare. There is no possible way that Harry can be dead. I just can't be paralyzed from the waist down. I can't have a Yeerk in my head. This must be the stuff of my imagination. There's no possible way… none…

            I didn't need Istrum's next jeer to realize that it was true. The pain of losing my best friend was just too real. Besides, if this were a nightmare, I would have woken a long time ago.

            There was only one thing I could do.

            "Get out of my head," I said quietly, but in a very threatening kind of way.

            Why? What are _you going to do?_

            "I'll kill us. I promise you I won't fail this time. This time I won't make you fall off a flight of stairs. Maybe I'll use a knife, this time, or a sword. Maybe I'll get you to the Whomping Willow. Or I might just feed myself to the giant squid. Anything to get you out."

            I felt a wave of panic from Istrum. He knew very well that I could control myself from time to time. All I needed was to be close to a sharp object, or some sort of weapon. The panic disappeared quiet suddenly. He actually became quite smug.

            Fine, then. You're willing to kill yourself off? Here's the weapon!

            Istrum pulled the Dracon gun out of my pocket. He shifted in my head and I shuddered. Wait! I _shuddered!?_

            My eyes slid out of focus and snapped back again. I looked at the gun in my hands. I squeezed my eyes shut. Istrum was still wrapped around my brain; I could feel him. I opened my eyes again. 

            With a trembling hand, I lifted the gun and put it against my head. My finger shook against the trigger. I closed my eyes again. My breath caught in my throat.

            And I pulled the trigger.

            As I was pulling it, I felt Istrum shifting in my head and involuntarily jerked the barrel of the gun away from my head. It missed.

            I rasped a feeble scream as I felt a searing pain in my throat. I felt the Dracon beam puncture my throat and come clean out the other side. I very suddenly couldn't breathe. Blood spilled down the sides of my neck and the arm holding me up collapsed.

            The world was spinning. My ear stung as Istrum crawled out. I watched through teary eyes as he crawled away. I wrinkled my nose in pain and disgust.

            With all of my remaining strength, I grabbed the fleeing Yeerk. It squirmed in my palm. It's amazing how such a small thing could imprison me in my own head and cause my death. My face a mask of fury, I slowly squeezed my fingers into a fist. Istrum was slowly crushed beneath my fingers. I made sure his death was long and painful.

            I finally gave in to the urge to breath. Blood cascaded down my lungs. My lungs burned as they filled with it. I coughed and blood sprayed out the holes in my windpipe. I gagged, only making it worse.

            My eyes spilled over. I wouldn't be able to say my last words if anyone ever found me before it was too late. My eyes rolled up into my head. I was slowly spiraling down into a black oblivion…

            _No._

            Not before I have my last say.

            Oh, God, I'm really dying, aren't I?

            Well, at least I would be with Harry. Maybe I'll become a ghost. After all, I wasn't finished here on Earth. 

I wonder what Hermione will do, with us both dead. I suppose she'll find other friends.

And my family? I'll miss my family, if indeed I can miss people on the other side. They'll probably be better off with out me, though. More money for the others. I just hope they miss me when I'm gone…

I really wish I could have freed Dumbledore somehow. He would have set things right. Probably would have kicked Voldemort's butt. Then I wouldn't be dying…

            A beautiful, unearthly song filled my ears. Angels? Possibly. Probably.

            I was dimly aware of someone touching my neck. I couldn't see, so I couldn't tell who it was. Something wet slid down into my fatal wound. I hissed in pain and squirmed a little. Yeah, sure, I appreciated the mourning but did they have to put salty tears into the injury?

            My vision started to clear. I felt another tear slide into the cut on the other side of my neck. My eyelids fluttered. The pain was clearing. My thoughts weren't as rushed. If this was dying, it felt pretty good…

            I blinked. Once. Twice. My eyesight was fuzzy, but it was improving… that meant that I probably _wasn't dying! Something was happening… I don't know what…_

            I blinked again. Something red stood above me. I squinted at it. It was a beautiful fire-colored bird. It leaned its head on mine and wept into the cut on my forehead.

            Fawkes! Fawkes the phoenix!

            He waddled back a bit so that I could sit up. I did and beamed at him. I stroked his head. "Thanks, Fawkes! I don't suppose you can do anything about my legs?"

            He cocked his head quizzically at me. I motioned toward my legs. He waddled over and studied them. He shook his head and cooed softly. "Oh, okay, then," I said, unable to keep the disappointment out of my voice.

            I pointed to Harry. "Is he dead? I mean, can you fix him?"

            Again, the phoenix shook his head. I ran my hand down his back. He bobbed his head, as if apologizing for Harry's death. I smiled sadly at him. "It's not your fault," I said. My voice was raspy. Well, I did just have a hole through my neck…

            I touched the places where the Dracon beam had cut. There were scars there, both about the size of a sickle.

            I sighed and looked back down at my legs. I probably wouldn't be able to move them ever again. Getting around was going to be harder than ever. Well, that's freedom's price for you. At least I wasn't still trapped in my head. After all, I had paid up.

            I had paid freedom's price.

~*~

            My name is…

            Oh, yeah, I don't remember my name.

            My pain has lessened. Yet I must continue to morph. Or demorph. As I said, I don't remember what I am anymore. 

            How long have I been here? This is a question I cannot answer. It feels like forever. Will I be here for eternity? I cannot stay like this forever. This is torture.

            Will I remember who I am when this terrible ordeal has passed? I hope so. I don't know how I could live a life I know nothing about. All I remember is that things have happened in my life that are horrible… so horrible that they should have never happened…

            I want to call out for help, but my throat is changing… slowly… slowly… Besides, what kind of call would come forth? Would one come out at all?

            Someone needs me. I forget who. Is there more than one person? I have no idea. All I know is that I'm needed. 

Desperately? 

            Yes.              

Why? 

I don't know.

Was there someone I loved?

            Yes.

            Who was it?  
            I don't know.

            All I can do right now is wait for my morph to finish…

            Wait…

            Wait…

            Wait…

**A/N: Wah hoo! Two chapters in a day! Score! Hope you liked it. Ron is officially free! What'll he do now? Heh, I'd kick some Yeerk butt if I were him.**

**I've started school again so the updating of my story will slow just a bit. I hope to finish it before Monday. Stick around for my next chapter, "Chapter 32: Can't Fight the Moonlight (Ax)"! (Hmm, now I wonder what _that_'s about.)**


	32. Can't Fight the Moonlight: Ax

Chapter 32 Can't Fight the Moonlight (Ax) 

            My name is Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill.

            I fought by the side of a wizard unknown to me. He was male, with gray steaks through his brown hair. He had deep purple bags under his eyes, a sure sign of human exhaustion. His face was pale and sweaty.

            There is a human-Controller coming up behind you, I warned him calmly.

            He whirled and said something I didn't understand. Scarlet light erupted from the end of his wand and blasted the Controller. He pushed his hair out of his eyes with the back of his hands and panted, "I don't know what you are, but you seem to be on our side."

            I am, if you are fighting against the Yeerks. I replied.

            He grinned a particularly wolfish grin, exposing larger-than-normal eyeteeth. "I'm Remus Lupin," he said.

            Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill, I stated.

            "Well, then, Aximili, what do you say we go show those Yeerks what we're made of?"

            I am willing, I said, acknowledging him with a nod of my head.

            Together, we ran off into the flood of battle. We both stopped short when the most ugly human I have ever seen stepped out in front of us. I didn't know who he was, but he seemed to radiate evil. I shuddered back, hooves scrabbling against the floor, which was slick with blood.

            Only one other person I had met had an aura like this: Visser Three.

            "Hello, werewolf," the man said in an oddly high-pitched voice.

            I was about to demand the man to tell me where he had found out about my accident in the Forbidden Forest. Before I could say anything, however, Lupin had straightened up and looked the man in the eye, saying quietly, "Hello, Voldemort."

            All my hearts nearly stopped. Voldemort? Wasn't that the man who had killed Harry's parents?

            "Have you come back to hunt down some more innocent infants?" Lupin asked.

            Voldemort raised his wand and shrieked, "_Crucio_!"

            Lupin screamed and fell. He twitched violently and convulsed, head thrashing side-to-side. I was about to slice Voldemort's hand off with my tail, but he had ended the spell.

            Lupin spat at Voldemort's feet. "You killed my best friend and his wife," he said, poison ringing in his tone, "Go on and kill me. I'm just disappointed that I never got a shot at you myself."

            Voldemort smiled. "Oh, I'll kill you," he said, and Lupin squared his jaw in determination. "But not yet, werewolf. See, I have plans for you. And if that Andalite of yours so much as twitches, I'll make sure it'll be a long and painful death."

            I stood transfixed with horror. There was nothing I could do. I shook with anger and fright that I did my best to mask. Lupin nodded slowly, indicating that I shouldn't do anything.

            "It's a little dark in here, don't you think?" asked Voldemort, carefully inspecting his wand.

            Lupin narrowed his eyes. "I think the light fixture is just fine, thank you very much."

            "Really? I think that the moon could light the room beautifully," Voldemort replied.

            "No!" Lupin cried. His eyes went huge with horror. He skidded backwards, but Voldemort stepped on the hem of his robes. He shook and moaned.

            Voldemort pointed his wand to a corner of the ceiling. He said a word that made black fire erupt from the end of his wand. It cut through the ceiling and left there a perfectly sized hole. Through this hole, the moonlight shone as bright as a searchlight. It fell directly onto Lupin.

            Lupin went rigid. His whole body shook. A snarl rose in his throat, a snarl that made my fur stand on end. His face elongated. His whole body twisted and convulsed. Gray fur sprouted all over his body. His teeth grew sharp and pointed. His bones snapped audibly. It sounded painful.

            In seconds, a wolf lay where Remus Lupin had once been. It got to its feet and bristled. It bared its teeth at Voldemort, tail curled in between its legs.

            I backed up in terror. What…?

            A Hork-Bajir struck me in the hindquarters and sent me skittering forward. I tried to stop but the floor was too blood-soaked. I toppled into the moonlight.

            I felt myself scream in thought-speak. It was pain beyond anything I had felt before! It was like morphing with the pain! My stalk eyes dimmed and disappeared. A mouth appeared across my face, as if someone had slashed it open with their tail-blade. Teeth painfully formed. 

            My upper body melded with my lower. My hooves become clawed paws. I felt every hair on my body grow gray and long. My tail blade disappeared.

            When the transformation had finished, I had collapsed. I was no longer in control of my actions. My body acted of its own accord.

            I realized with horror that this exactly like having a Yeerk in your head. The werewolf snarled and howled a cry to the moon. It licked its lips and bounded off to the side for a Controller.

            Something large and gray hit my side. I fell with a yelp. Another werewolf wrestled me to the ground, a mad look in its eyes. The werewolf in me howled again and fought with all its brute strength.

            _Listen to me! The other wolf demanded._

            The werewolf I was went limp with my shock. How… how could it be talking? I mean, it wasn't thought-speak, I knew that…

            _Good, it said, sliding off me. It looked at me and panted. Lupin? Yes, definitely Lupin. A werewolf._

The werewolf trembled with indecision. Should it do as the older, experienced, bigger wolf said?

            _I never knew that you__ were a werewolf, Lupin said with some surprise._

            I didn't reply. I couldn't.

            _You never had the Wolfsbane Potion, did you?_

            Again, I didn't reply. I didn't know what a Wolfsbane Potion _was_, but I obviously hadn't had it. 

            _Come with me, it said._

            The werewolf didn't move. It was still unsure.

            Lupin cuffed me with a paw and drew back his lips in a snarl._ Come_!

            I felt a whine rise in my throat. The werewolf hung its head and its tongue lolled out. It docilely followed where Lupin led. He stopped in front of the empty cages that usually held hosts and said one simple word.

_In_.

            How was I to disagree? Head hanging, I was ushered into it. Before I could do anything, he managed to slam the door closed.

            The werewolf in me rebelled. It made me lunge against the cage's metal bars and fight to get out.

            Lupin looked apologetic. _I'm sorry, he said, _it's for your own good. You won't bite anyone and be killed. You'll thank me later.__

            He turned and bounded off back into the melee.

            I hung against the bars, snapping at them. The werewolf was hurting itself by trying to get out. I screamed at it to stop. The werewolf hesitated, confused by the voice in its head. It snarled and bit at the air. I screamed again, but it had gone back to trying to escape.

            I sighed resignedly and retreated into the corner of my mind that I owned. It was my fault, really. Why hadn't I fallen back with the others?

            I gave up trying to take control and watched the werewolf slowly killing us. 

There was nothing I could do now.

~*~

            I don't know who I am.

            Or who I was.

            My senses are returning to me. The pain is diminishing. I am morphing (or demorphing) faster now.

            My thoughts are clearer. I can almost feel my body again. I can almost see. I can almost understand the noise I hear around me.

            The pain is still too strong to pinpoint where my wounds are exactly. It seems to be all over. It's dwindling now, though. I almost remember who… who…

            Memories flood my head too quickly for my numb brain to process. I'm not dying; I know this at least. Quickly, quietly, I slowly go spiraling…

            Spiraling…

            Spiraling…

            Down into a black oblivion.

**A/N: Sorry this is so short. I didn't know what to write, apart from Ax being a werewolf. The next should be better. Speaking of the next chapter, stick around for "Chapter 33: Rebellion (Hermione)"!**


	33. Rebellion: Hermione

Chapter 33 Rebellion (Hermione) 

            My name is Hermione Granger.

            And the only person I love had just died.

            I fought relentlessly. These people, these parasites, had just killed Harry. It's all their fault that he had died, and they were going to pay for it.

            Rachel was at my side. She was a bear again. 

All the curses I had ever read about were fresh in my mind. I used them, all but the three Unforgivables. Harry was dead and there was nothing I could do about that, but I could still avenge him.

            I was a horrific whirlwind of jinxes. Those near me were starting to back away and run. Even Rachel shuddered away from me. I didn't care. I was furious, sorrowful, and vengeful all at the same time.

            A part of me was missing. Nothing but love could fix it. It made me unable to think straight. I was seeing in red.

            Hermione, calm yourself down! Rachel cried when I nearly hit her with a curse.

            I flared my nostrils and ignored her. I was injured where no one could heal me. I had taken on too much mental damage. I had just survived a life-scarring event and she wanted me to _calm down!?  
            As if she would have in my position._

            Battle raged. A new platoon of Hork-Bajir and Taxxons had arrived. They were armed with the same kind of gun Istrum had had. They were supposed to, Rachel told me, painfully blow up every molecule of your body. The magic seemed to be having an affect on them, though, because they sure didn't do that.

            Yee-haw! Rachel cried, as if she were enjoying this.

            I don't see how you could enjoy battle and bloodshed. Sure, it's exciting in a bad and horrific kind of way, but _definitely_ not enjoyable.

            I ached all over. The Nundu's Breath had left me weak. I was tired from lack of sleep. Yet I was driven by an insane notion to avenge Harry.

            He will not have died in vain. I will avenge him, even if it means my own death. He was my first friend. He was my first crush. He was my first love.

            I can't just let him die and not do anything about it.

            Hermione, are you okay? Rachel asked.

            I glowered up at her. "No. I'll never be okay. Not after what just happened."

            Rachel lowered her head in acknowledgment. She then growled fiercely and threw off the Taxxon that leapt on her back. I blew it apart with a Reducto Curse, spraying us both with Taxxon chunks.

            I spluttered as green blood dripped down into my face. "_Lovely_," I choked out.

            You're telling me?

            I shook my head and wiped the gooey stuff off on my tattered sleeve. It was disgusting. I scowled and blew apart an on-coming Hork-Bajir.

            One blade whirled straight at me. Unlike Harry, I don't have amazing Quidditch reflexes. It struck me in the shoulder and sank deep. I staggered backward, clutching the blade. I seized it and yanked it out, slashing my hand open as I did so. Blood seeped into my robes.

            My knees buckled and I fell. I had never felt such terrible physical pain. As the world dimmed around me, I saw Fawkes the phoenix soaring down to me. He was too late to save me from unconsciousness.

            My last thought before I blacked out was: This is for you, Harry.

~*~

            My name is… my name is…

            My head whirled as I came to.  So many memories of so many things! I had to sort them out before I could remember such a trivial thing as my name.

            I still couldn't remember what I looked like either. All I could remember were the things that swirled past my mind's eye too quickly for me to process them.

            I blinked dazedly and looked down to emit a gasp of mingled horror and surprise.

            I was half-beast, half-human.

            I blinked a few more times to try and clear my head, but to no avail. All I could remember was something about morphing and demorphing… yes. I must demorph now.

            Now, what did I look like?

            I still had no idea, so I just focused on the image of a human.

            The fur that had grown on my body slowly retreated back into my skin. I watched as I saw trembling, bloodless fingers appear. I closed my eyes and didn't watch as the rest of me appeared.

            I knew now that I was definitely human. I felt my face. My fingers touched high cheekbones and slid down a slender cheek. Yes. Definitely human. 

            I opened my eyes.

            And then I remembered my name.

            My mind finally cleared and sorted memories into numerical order, as they should be. My nauseating headache evaporated. With it went most of my pain.

            And do you want to know my name?

            My name is Harry Potter.

            I rose slowly to my feet and looked down. My robes had a huge hole through where my abdomen was, front and back. The edges were burned. They were soaked through with blood. My face was covered in blood. My scar still pounded, telling me Voldemort was as near as ever.

            I gripped my wand in my hand. Ron—Istrum, I mean—was gone, but his floating wheelchair was still there. He probably had crawled away.

            I walked over to where he had fallen (I _had_ seen him fall) and found the remains of a Yeerk. I slowly smiled. So Ron was free now.

            I turned and jogged over into the battle.

            I had a price to repay.

            First things first, however.

            I was easily ignored in the battle. I held no threat to anyone, so they passed me by and ran to the Animorphs. They, after all, were the _real_ threat (please note the heavy sarcasm).

            Phoenix song filled the air. I titled my head back. Fawkes piped his eerie song to the ceiling and slowly circled down to sit on my shoulder. He carried something in his beak that I knew all too well: Godric Gryffindor's sword in a beautifully decorated sheathe.

            I gently took it from him and smiled. I fumbled with the belt of the sheathe but managed to get it around my waist. "Thanks, Fawkes. How about you and me go kick some serious Yeerk butt?"

            Fawkes cooed softly. I took that for a yes.

            And so my search began.

            "_Potter," hissed a voice, making me turn. I looked up into Snape's face. He held a sword in his hand. I slowly registered the fact that he was a Yeerk and couldn't use magic._

            He smiled malevolently and swung his sword down at me. I dodged, rolled, and caught to my feet, unsheathing my own sword. The rubies on the hilt glittered in the moonlight that came down through a hole in the ceiling.

            Snape swung at me again, and I brought my sword up to meet it. Sparks flew as the swords connected. He thrust at me and I quickly parried. I lunged. He blocked. Our swords crisscrossed when they met and I pressed up against him, making him back up a little. His sword slipped. I brought the hilt of my sword down on his head, knocking him out.

            I slid the sword back into its sheathe. Breathing hard, I panted, "I've been wanting to do that for a _long time."_

            I continued my search. Now that I had a sword, a few people recognized me and attacked. I was a natural at swordplay, it seemed. I don't understand how, but I was. Maybe there was magic in the sword and it worked that way, but I was doing pretty well for a beginner.

            "Do you know where he is?" I asked Fawkes.

            Fawkes crowed and flew off into the crowd. I ran after him, looking up and not where I was going. This is probably why I tripped over a body and nearly fell into the Yeerk Pool.

            My glasses skidded across the stone floor and fell into the Yeerk Pool. I gasped in horror and scuttled forward on my hands and knees, making a wild grab for my glasses. They sank into the mass of alien slugs. I stuck my whole arm in and found my glasses to my great relief.

            I wiped them off on my robes where there wasn't any blood (very limited space). When I put them back on, I saw the person I had been seeking out: Visser Five.

            I unsheathed my sword and crouched down, stealthily creeping forward. Visser Five was standing on the pier of the Yeerk Pool with his lips pursed, surveying the battle but in no way taking part in it. His lip was curled in a sneer. He had both hands on his hips. He had retrieved his wand. It was carefully secured in his pocket.

            I slowed my breathing so that it even and normal. I raised my own wand and closed my eyes. "_Accio wand," I whispered, barely audible._

            Slowly, but surely, the wand slid out of Visser Five's pocket. It drifted over. I held my breath the whole time. What if he noticed?

            Luckily for me, he didn't. I pocketed his wand and put mine in there also. I held my sword out carefully in front of me. My sneakers kept blessedly quiet as I crept up behind him. In one swift moment, I wrapped an arm around his arms and held the sword to his throat.

            Dumbledore's piercingly blue eyes looked at me, startling me. I had almost forgotten that Visser Five was Dumbledore too. I loosened my hold and Visser Five broke free, but I still had the sword at his throat.

            "Harry Potter," Visser Five acknowledged in Dumbledore's voice.

            "Visser Five," I replied.

            "Are you really going to kill your headmaster, Harry?"

            I paused and flared my nostrils. I weighed my choices. "For the price of freedom, yeah. I know I sure didn't like having a Yeerk in _my _head."

            I was aware of his hand snaking down to his pocket to grab his wand but didn't show it. When he looked shocked at finding it gone, I smiled in a hostile kind of way. With my free hand, I took his wand out of my pocket and twirled it in my fingers. "Now would be good to have a Plan B, Visser."

            He stared at me, face livid. I put the wand away and moved the sword so that its blade lightly touched his throat, breaking skin but not enough to bleed. "Free Dumbledore, Visser, and maybe—just _maybe_—you might live."

            "Never," the Visser spat.

            I pressed a little harder. A thin trail of blood trickled down Visser Five's neck. Sweat beaded his forehead and ran down his cheeks in tiny rivulets. "It's your choice, Visser," I said, "Free Dumbledore and have a shot at life or you both die."

            Visser Five didn't answer. I applied more pressure.

            A shriek split the air behind me, making me jump. I nearly slit Dumbledore's throat open. I looked over my shoulder to see a wizard-Controller—Ravenclaw Terry Boot—rushing at me with a Dracon gun in hand. I gasped in horror.

            Another shriek and a few seconds later, Terry was on the ground holding his head. Blood seeped through his fingers. He had dropped his Dracon beam. When he took his hands away, I saw that both his eyes had been punctured.

            I looked to the ceiling. Erllon circled there, blood glinting on his talons. I nodded grimly at him in thanks. He dipped his wings in acknowledgement. I didn't like what he had done, but he had just saved my life. Terry would probably be blind for life now.

            I turned back to Visser Five. He looked as if his knees were weak. "Have you decided, then, Yeerk?"

            He collapsed and I went with him so I would not kill him. I noticed something about his ear, however. A glowing yellow light was coming from inside. I stared in horrid fascination as Visser Five himself crawled out. I quickly dropped my sword with a clatter and quickly caught the glowing Yeerk.

            It glowed so bright it was hard to look at. I didn't need to think twice to know that all of Dumbledore's magic was stored in it.

            Dumbledore looked at me, gratitude filling his eyes. I smiled. "Hello, Professor."

            "Hello, Harry," he replied.

            I dropped the Yeerk into his hand. "It's yours to deal with."

            He nodded solemnly. "There is only one way to get my magic back, I'm afraid." He said, and quickly crushed the Yeerk in his long-fingered hand. 

            The yellow light seeped down into his skin. It spread throughout his body until he glowed with it. The glow died down to a shimmer and finally disappeared completely.

            "I think you might want this back," I said, handing him is wand.

            He smiled at me. "Thank you, Harry, for all that you've done. I will never be able to repay you."

            I looked grimly into his eyes. "Yes, you can. Get Voldemort out of the school. Destroy the Yeerk Pool. Free the Controllers. That we be enough for me. I'll help, but you need to do this."

            Fawkes suddenly appeared above us. He landed on Dumbledore's shoulder and laid his head against the man's gashed throat. Tears slid down the phoenix's face onto Dumbledore's wound. The wound healed, leaving a shiny pink scar.

            "Fawkes, could you heal that boy over there?"

            Fawkes cawed softly and flew over to do his master's bidding. Terry's eyes healed. He blinked a few times. "Harry?"

            "Yeah?" I asked.

            He grinned broadly at me. "I'm free."

            I smiled feebly back. It was true. There lay a Yeerk beside him, which he crushed with the heel of his palm. It had tried to make a getaway for the Yeerk Pool.

            I turned back to face the battle. Dumbledore had all ready disappeared to go find Voldemort. Terry was on his feet, wand in hand, ready to go fight with the Animorphs. He ran off.

            I stood for a moment on the pier to the Yeerk Pool, sword in one hand and wand in the other. My face was still covered in blood. My robes were terribly mutilated and tattered. My scar throbbed. I was tired, hungry, and cold, but I was ready to fight.

            I was ready.

**A/N: Ta daaa! You all knew I couldn't kill Harry off (Well, the Animorphs, Ron, and Hermione still thinks he's dead but that's okay)! Dumblydore is free! Wah hoo! The plot is taking a most excellent twist, ain't it? (By the way, I _love_ Evanescence: See my accomplished work "Whisper"—major spoilers in that 'un though.)  Stay tuned for "Chapter 34: Solid Phantoms (Cassie)"!**


	34. Solid Phantoms: Cassie

Chapter 34 Solid Phantoms (Cassie) 

            My name is Cassie.

            I had been close to death before, but never this close.

            I drifted in and out of consciousness. At some points, I knew I was a wolf. At others, I didn't know what I was. I was scared when I knew what was going on, and all giggly with delusion when I didn't.

            However, I did manage to demorph. When I was finally human and whole, I noticed Marco—human Marco—crouching beside me. His face usually dark, tanned face was pale with… what? Shock? Fear?

            He looked extremely relieved when he saw I was awake. He wiped sweat from his forehead with his arm. "Good," he croaked, "You're alive. We'd hoped we wouldn't lose you too."

            It took me a few moments to register this. My heart started beating faster. "'Lose me too?' You don't mean that… well…"

            He bowed his head. That was enough of an answer.

            "Who?" I demanded, "Who was it?"

            He looked to the ceiling. I noticed that his eyes had taken on a kind of weird sheen… he wasn't _crying, was he? That wasn't like Marco at all._

            "Harry," he whispered, "Ron's Yeerk shot him in the stomach with a Dracon gun. He was dead when Rachel found him. Hermione had seen the whole thing. She watched her best friend kill the other off. It must have been horrible."

            I gasped in horror and my eyes filled with tears. I hadn't realized how close Harry had gotten to us before. He had actually seemed like one of our own. Losing him was as bad as losing another Animorph.

            He had _been an Animorph._

            "I guess," I rasped, tears flowing freely down my cheeks, "That he'll be with his parents now."

            Marco didn't reply and looked away.

            We sat in silence for a little while.

            "Well," he said, shifting position, "I guess we'd better go back and fight."

            I nodded. "Yeah," I whispered, "I guess we should."

            He closed his eyes lightly and started morphing. I closed my eyes too and remorphed to wolf. I was secretly a little glad to be morphing wolf, because wolves can't cry.

            When my morph was complete, I howled my grief to the sky. The moon shone bright through a hole in the ceiling. I realized with a sudden pang of horror that Ax was a werewolf and that he might be running lose through the battle, biting people. I shuddered away from the thought and charged into the melee.

            The battle was as horrible as any other one I had fought in, maybe even a little worse. Swords jabbed at me and sometimes a Dracon beam would singe me.

            I heard another wolf howl. My ears swiveled in its direction, followed by my head. I charged off in the direction. Had it been Ax, perhaps?

            I skidded to a halt when I saw a werewolf, hackles raised and teeth bared, jump on a Controller.

            Ax? I called.

            The werewolf looked over at me. It calmly stepped off the scratched up Controller and padded over to me, giving me a skeptical look.

            Wait a minute…

            A wolf was giving me a skeptical look?

            _Werewolf_?

            The question came as a bark from the creature. I backed up, startled. A whine rose in my throat. I knew that it wasn't talking in thought-speak, so how could it be talking at all?

            Then I remembered something. Marco had told us, that night after he had been spying on Harry, that a cat named Crookshanks had helped him find the classroom. Hadn't it spoken to _him_?

            No, I said with a soft whuff.

            _What are you_?

            I'm an An-An-Andalite bandit. I stumbled over the word. I had almost said Animorph!

            _Aaah. Isn't that what Aximili was?_

            How in the world did he know about Ax? Uuuum… you know Ax?

            _Yes. Ax and I fought side-by-side until Voldemort opened a whole in the ceiling. I'm afraid he hasn't taken a Wolfsbane potion, so he's not in control of his actions. I locked him in one of the cages so that he wouldn't hurt anyone._

            The werewolf's nose twitched. It slowly wagged its tail back and forth.

            Who are you? I asked.

            _Remus Lupin, member of the Order of the Phoenix_, he replied, stretching his forelegs in front of him and hanging his head in a kind of wolf bow.

            Order of the Phoenix! I gasped, Then you're with Sirius and Harry!

            _Yeah_.

            Good! Well, then, I should explain to you that I'm not an Andalite bandit. I'm a human girl, and my name is Cassie.

            _All right, then, Cassie. You know Harry?_

            I nodded vigorously. Yes. He's the one who's actually helping us. He had us meet Sirius.

            _Then you're on our side_?

            Yes.

            He howled, a happy and encouraging howl. I joined in with him before I could help myself. Together, we ran off to fight side-by-side.

            All went well for a little while. The tide of the battle was starting to change in our favor. I caught a glimpse of Hermione once. She looked quite bloodthirsty, but then I had gotten caught up in the fight again.

            Then _it_ happened.

            I looked up as I heard the sound of ragged breath. Hooded figures were entering the room. They were giant and wearing long black robes. Hoods were pulled up over their heads and hid their faces. The only part of their bodies that were exposed were their hands. They had the look of something that had been decaying in water for a long time.

            _Dementors_! Lupin gasped.

            A cold sensation swept over me, making me feel as if I would never been happy again. I started to tremble. I crouched down, belly scraping the stone, and whimpered.

            I felt myself demorphing, only I wasn't doing it. Within seconds, I was a girl again, squatting on the ground with my arms wrapped around myself. I heard Lupin sound a howl of anguish.

White fog obscured my vision. Screams that sounded like they came from a radio with bad reception sounded in my head. I shuddered and collapsed. I would never be happy again…

            Memories—_bad _memories—hovered in my mind's eye as if they were actually happening. I could barely feel the cold sweat that was soaking my morphing outfit. Horrible… horrible…

            It suddenly started to clear up. I realized that I was lying on the ground, curled up into a ball. Blinking through half-obscured eyes I saw a form waving a wand and heard an echoing voice scream, "_EXPECTO PATRONUM_!"

            "_Harry_?" I whispered.

            But no… it couldn't be… Harry was _dead_…

            Yet, the more my vision cleared, the more the shape looked like Harry. A silver stag exploded from the tip of his wand and charged, antlers lowered, at the Dementors. His mouth was set into a grim line. He was a pale as a ghost… maybe he _was _a ghost…

            A gray void had begun to form at the edge of my vision and it wasn't the white fog from the Dementors. It slowly spread so that I was half-blind.

            He looked around and saw me. He ran over and held my hand. He felt so _solid_…

            "Harry…" I whispered, feebly squeezing his hand.

            He didn't say anything but squeezed my hand back.

            "You died…"

            He opened his mouth and said something I couldn't hear. I squinted up at him and watched him until he disappeared into the grayness, which quickly became black.

            I slowly eased into consciousness. Something was licking my face and whining. I blinked a few times. Lupin was above me. When he saw I was awake, he barked happily. I sat up. I rubbed my head, and then my chest. The cold feeling was still there.

            Lupin nudged my leg. I looked down and saw a big hunk of chocolate there. I grinned widely. "Just what I need! Thanks," I said, taking a big bite. The cold in me immediately fled. I sighed and beamed at him. How had he known that chocolate was a remedy to… whatever it is that the dementors had given me?

            I closed my eyes and thought about what had just happened to me, before I had blacked out. I had seen Harry, which was for sure. It had probably been a vision, though.

            But he had felt so real!

            I flexed my hand, remembering. What had he said before I had lost consciousness? Had it been some lost message he had meant to say before he had died?

            I reached up to hug Lupin above the shoulders, hesitated, and did so. He panted and didn't resist. "I can't believe he died…" I whispered into his fur.

            He barked, as if asking whom.

            "Harry. He died. Hermione saw him die." I said, and started to sob quietly. I hid my face in his fur.

            Lupin threw his head back and let loose a howl of sorrow. I removed my face from his fur and howled with him. 

It'll take a lot more than chocolate to heal this wound.

A/N: Okie dokie! Heh, I took an afternoon vacation yesterday and didn't finish it. ::wink wink:: Though I'm sure there are no objections, since I've been updating extremely fast this past week. I'm serious when I saw that now it's coming to a close. Allllmost done!

**Stay tuned for my next chapter, "Chapter 35: Joy and Tears (Hermione)"!**


	35. Joy and Tears: Hermione

Chapter 35 Joy and Tears (Hermione) 

            My name is Hermione.

            A great howl filled the air, making me stumble back. It was filled with sorrow and anguish that reverberated through my ribcage. I ended up howling myself, howling my grief for Harry's death.

            A bright flash went up across the room. It made me jump. It was the silver light of a curse. There was an answering jinx. As far as I knew, there were three wizards in the room including me and two were on the same side. I had to go see what was up.

            "I'm going over there, Rachel," I said.

            Go ahead, Rachel grunted, shoving away a Hork-Bajir.

            I sprinted off. I was slowly becoming levelheaded again. Harry was dead. This was a fact, an unchangeable fact. There was nothing I could do.

            I shuddered to a halt when I saw the owners of the curses.

            Voldemort was dueling. His face was livid with anger. I had never seen him so angry, not even when he'd been dueling Harry.

            I gasped when I saw whom he was dueling. It was none other than Albus Dumbledore! But… but… hadn't he been a wizard-Controller when I had last seen him?

            "Why have you chosen to ally yourself with such creatures as the Yeerks, Tom?" Dumbledore asked calmly, even cheerfully, as he shot another curse at Voldemort.

            Voldemort's pale face flushed. "I am no longer known by that name!" he roared, "I am Lord Voldemort!"

            Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, we've established the fact," he said wryly.

            "I am invincible, Dumbledore, even to you," Voldemort hissed.

            "No one is invincible, Tom, you should know that."

            Voldemort bellowed another curse.

            I could see what Dumbledore was doing. He was making Voldemort angry, so angry that he couldn't think.

            And it seemed to be working.

            "You should learn how to control that temper of yours," Dumbledore remarked.

            Voldemort answered by shooting off another curse that missed Dumbledore by three feet. This curse missed me by about three _inches_.

            I winced as the spell went by, giving me a taste of its heat. I ducked my head and watch it strike an unlucky Controller on the shoulder, who fell to the ground. The Controller's shoulder started to rot and decay while she screamed in agony all the while. 

The sight made my stomach churn. I instinctively clutched my own shoulder where the Hork-Bajir's blade had struck me. My robes here were torn and bloody, but the actual wound had healed because of Fawkes's tears. There was nothing left now but a thin, pink scar.

            Meanwhile, the duel raged on behind me.

            Dumbledore was visibly winning. Voldemort was furious. They kept circling. The space between them was getting wider, but their aim was still true and precise. I found myself having to back up lest I wanted to be trod on by Voldemort.

            I wanted dearly to jump into the duel myself, but I was magically bound so that I could not. Unless Voldemort got another to help him in this ferocious battle, I would be stuck on the sidelines. 

            I danced nervously from foot to foot. How long would it be until Voldemort finally gave up? Perhaps never.

            Slowly, I grew unaware of the battle between Animorphs and Controllers. I had never seen—or read about—such a battle as the one I saw before me. Two of the world's most famous wizards were dueling, using ancient spells forgotten by all but them.

            Never before had I wanted Harry so much. He'd have been at my side, reassuring me that it was all going to come out good in the end. He'd have told me that Dumbledore would win and that we'd never have to see Voldemort's ugly visage again.

            A particularly loud bellow from Voldemort jerked me out of my subconscious. He glared malevolently at Dumbledore and said, "This isn't over, Dumbledore. We will meet again."

            And with that he disappeared.

            I stood in total shock, mouth agape and eyes popping. The ending to the duel had not been what I had expected it to be. I had been anticipating a prolonged, dramatic conclusion. My imagining had made the ending of the duel seem so… anticlimactic.

            Dumbledore smiled grimly and walked over to me. As he approached, I noticed a shiny scar across his neck. I blinked in confusion.

            He patted my shoulder. "It's over, now, Hermione."

            "Visser Five?" I asked in befuddlement.

            He smiled, a true smile that reached his eyes. "No. I am free now."

            A roar of thought-speak across the room made us both look over. Visser Three, shrouded more than ever in his evil aura, stood by the Yeerk Pool. He was quaking with rage and probably betrayal.

            "Visser," Dumbledore said in a booming voice, "Your time here has reached its end."

            You haven't heard the last of me, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore! I will be back, be assured of that! I will vanquish you wizards, and discover the secret to all your technology!

            He turned and clattered noisily out of the room. A tide of Controllers followed him.

            I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled at his retreating back, "TECHNOLOGY DOESN'T WORK AT HOGWARTS!"

            Dumbledore clapped me on the shoulder and chuckled. I smiled up at him, but there were tears pouring down my face. Harry hadn't died in vain. It was really too bad he hadn't lived long enough to see this moment.

            Visser Three ran out the door and locked it behind him, trapping all the Controllers in the room with us.

            "It's over," said a voice from behind me.

            I turned around. Jake was standing there, smiling a small smile. He was human again. Rachel clambered up onto the pier behind him and stood by his side. With a shriek, Tobias floated down and perched on her shoulder. Cassie came up and slid her hand into Jake's. Grinning ear-to-ear, Marco joined them.

            Dumbledore beamed at us. "Nice job, children. Now, I must go organize the freeing of involuntary hosts. I will speak with you later. Farewell," he said, humming to himself and walking down into the crowd.

            "So," I said, still sobbing quietly, "It's over."

            "Yeah." Jake said, looking over where the battle had taken place only seconds before.

            We stood in silence.

            "I'm sorry about Harry," he said finally. "He was a brave kid. He was one of us. We—and I think I can speak for all of us when I say this—have never met a finer person. I just wish we could have known him longer. He fought till the end, and that's something to admire in a person. You should be proud of him."

            I choked over a sob. "I am. I just wish… I just wish he weren't dead."

            "I'm dead?"

            With a startled gasp, I looked over to see who had spoken. Harry stood at the end of the platform in all his bloody glory. He looked puzzled and amused at the same time.

            And I screamed bloody murder.

            He looked down at himself. "I'm not _that_ bad-looking, am I?"

            I ran over to him and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him violently. "Harry—_James_—_POTTER_!" I said, my voice rising hysterically with every word. "Don't you _EVER_ do that to me _AGAIN_!"

            And with that, I pulled his head down and kissed him soundly on the lips.

            At first he was rigid with shock. Then he relaxed into it. He wrapped his arms around my waist and held me close. My nostrils filled with his scent: a pleasant mix of butterbeer and chocolate. Fiery passion filled me, zipping from my heart to the very tips of my fingers. I pressed him down on me, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling of his glasses pressing into my face.

            "It's about time!"

            This startled us both out of our own little world. We both looked over to the owner of the voice (no, it wasn't any of the Animorphs). I gasped in shock.

            Ron lay on his belly, chin resting in his hands. His legs were splayed out haphazardly behind him. It had appeared as if he had army crawled over to us, since his legs were paralyzed.

            "Ron?" Harry asked uncertainly, arms still around me.

            "The one and only," Ron said, grinning stupidly at us, "Do you know how long I've been waiting for that? I mean, jeez, guys. It took you long enough."

            Realizing that we were still holding each other, Harry and I sprang apart. Blushing furiously, I looked up at him. He looked back and we broke eye contact quickly.

            "Now, will somebody help me please? This happens to be _very_ uncomfortable, no matter how relaxed I look." Ron replied. "It's not like I can levitate myself."

            "You _can_ do magic, can't you?"

            Exasperated, he pulled out his wand and said, "_Lumos_."

            Nothing happened.

            He swore passionately and tried again. Surely enough, a little blue flame sputtered into life at the tip of his wand. He stared at it as if entranced. Then he grinned broadly up at us. "You don't know how long I've wanted to do that."

            He paused, looked at us, and said, "Sorry if I interrupted. You may continue now."

            Harry grinned the grin I knew and loved, the one he hadn't had on his face since the Animorphs had come. He pulled me to him and kissed me again.

            We broke apart only when Marco whistled and said, "Get a room, you two."

            Then I broke down and dissolved into tears of joy. I threw back my head and howled. 

            Harry looked completely startled. "What? What is it?"

            I puffed myself up and wailed, "I'm—so—happy!" Then I buried my head in his shoulder and sobbed.

            I've never been so happy in my life. It seemed as if Harry had returned from the dead. Not only had was he alive, he loved me like I loved him. Ron was Yeerk-free. Dumbledore was too. The battle was won and it was us who were victorious.

            I was only vaguely aware of the shout of jubilation that went up from caged hosts and Yeerks in the Yeerk Peace Movement.

            I would never forget this day.

A/N: So what did you think of that? Sorry the end of the battle was a little anticlimactic. I've been waiting to write this chapter for the longest time. The scene was always looming in the back of my mind.

Why did I have them acquire the Basilisk, you ask? To show that you can acquire dead, magical creatures. And to show that some magical creatures have such strong will power that muggles cannot overcome them.

**Yes, there _will_ be another chapter. This one will be the last. Stick around for, "Chapter 36: Goodbyes and Farewells (Marco)"!**


	36. Goodbyes and Farewells: Marco

A/N: All righty then, first things first: I do not own the song "Linger", which I use in the story towards the end. It belongs to the Girl Scouts of America. I don't know who wrote it, my Girl Scout songbook didn't elaborate. Enjoy!

Chapter 36 Goodbyes and Farewells (Marco) 

            My name is Marco.

            And I was basking in the limelight.

            All the girls in Hogwarts wanted me. I caught Pansy Parkinson chasing me around in the corridors one day (Eeeew!). The Patil twins loved me. They always sat near me and played with my hair. They _adored _me, and I showed them the most attention out of everyone. It made all the other girls _seethe_ with envy.

            I love it when that happens.

            Oh. You want to hear about what happened after we won the battle?

            Are you _sure_?

            Fine.

            Dumbledore drained the Yeerk Pool, keeping a lot of Yeerk hostages, and destroyed it. He locked the Controllers that wouldn't cooperate on his terms of letting their hosts go in the room holding the former Yeerk Pool. They stayed there for three days, until their Yeerks died of Kandrona starvation. Then their hosts were free.

            Ax became an Andalite again that next morning, mentally shaken but otherwise perfectly fine. He always skived off the topic of his werewolf-dom when it came up. Dumbledore gave him a special goblet that has a never-ending supply of Wolfsbane potion.

            Harry and Hermione were sure to live happily ever after. Now you never see one without the other, and most of the time they're holding hands. The thought makes me sigh and go to that happy place in my head.

            Ron is still paralyzed. Dumbledore is looking for a cure and says he'll come up with one if he can't find one, but I don't know if there is one. If there were, he would probably all ready know about it. Ron may be doomed to be paralyzed forever. Jake doesn't know Ron, so he isn't going to let Ron have the morphing power anytime soon.

            Besides, Dumbledore was bound to come up with something.

            Erllon decided to stay a bird. He said (with Tobias translating; turns out Transfigured, sentient beings can talk too) that he liked it that way.

            The Yeerks in the Yeerk Peace Movement _were_ transfigured into humans. They were muggles, if you looked at it in the wizard perspective. Dumbledore wiped their memories and sent them to live in London with new clothes and a great deal of British currency, so Harry's promise was fulfilled. Erllon was extremely pleased.

            So that pretty much wraps it up. Now can we get back to me?  
            I was walking out of the Great Hall after dinner with a Patil twin on each arm when Ron came wheeling up to me. His face was flushed and there was a twinkle in his eye that I had never seen before.

            "Hey, Ron," I said, grinning.

            "Hi, Marco. Do you know where Harry is?" Ron replied, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

            "Uuuh…" I said, pausing to think. "I don't know. Why? What's the big hurry?"

            Ron beamed at me. "Dumbledore's found a way to heal me! If I drink a potion made of phoenix tears and crushed unicorn horn mixed into pumpkin juice, I'll be able to move my legs again in a few months!"

            I couldn't help but grin myself. "That's great!"

            "Sure is! Then I'll be able to go out for the Quidditch team next year!"

            It was then I noticed that Parvati and Padma were glaring daggers at Ron. I hurriedly said, "I'll see you later, Ron."

            He followed my gaze, saw the glares directed at him, and cringed. "Yeah. Bye," Ron said quickly, wheeling away as fast as he could.

            "He is _so_ stupid," Padma drawled, a fiery hatred in her voice, "I bet he put those scars in his neck to look like his idol, Harry Potter."

            I stiffened. "Ron happens to be one of my friends. You do know he nearly killed himself—_twice—_for Harry, right?"

            Both their eyes went huge and they stared up at me, making my bad mood melt away. "_Really_?"

            I blinked. "Yeah. Once he fell off this tall stairway when the Yeerks were trying to infest Harry. That's how he paralyzed himself. The other time he threatened to shoot himself in the head. That would have killed the Yeerk too, but the Yeerk started to crawl out of his head as he took the shot. That made him jerk his gun and it shot him clean through the neck. _That_ is where he's got those scars from."

            They both let go of my arms and ran after Ron, calling him.

            I stood in a stupor for about five minutes. I came out of it only when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

            "You knew it would never last," Jake said, shaking his head sadly.

            I defiantly squared my shoulders. "It coulda."

            Jake laughed and punched my shoulder. "There are a ton of other girls here that wish you would pay attention to them," he said, nudging me and nodding across the room to where Pansy Parkinson stood. She giggled, bat her eyelashes, and waved flirtatiously at me.

            I shuddered and shook my head in disgust. Jake roared with laughter.

            I turned around and searched for a girl in the crowd, any girl. I found an Asian girl and tapped her on the shoulder, putting on my best smile and slicking back my hair. She turned and looked thrilled when she saw me. I held my arm out to her. "Hello," I said suavely, "I'm Marco."

            She took my arm and looked up at me through her long lashes. "Of course you are. Everyone knows who Marco is. I'm Cho Chang," she replied. She held out her hand for me to kiss, which I did (way more than needed).

            I grinned at Jake, bobbing my eyebrows up and down in quick succession. He grinned back and rolled his eyes, trying and failing to look exasperated. 

            Just then, Hermione ran up to us, Harry in tow. "Did you _hear_?" she trilled.

            "That Ron's gonna be okay?" I asked.

            "Yes!" she shrieked happily.

            Harry stared at Cho, who had her head resting on my shoulder. He had paled a little. Cho wrinkled her nose at him. I looked between them. "What? Are you 'ex's?" I asked.

            Cho nodded fervently and stroked my arm with her hand.

            I raised my eyebrows and said nothing.

            Dumbledore came up behind Harry with Rachel, Cassie, Ax, Tobias, and Ron. Harry heard him and turned around. We all looked up at him in silence.

            "Miss Chang, if you would please leave us for a moment?" Dumbledore asked with a gracious nod of his head.

            Cho smiled fleetingly and left my side.

            When we were alone, Dumbledore said, "I want to thank you all. Especially you, Harry, for freeing me. You are all exceptionally brave. I could never have wished for more of my students—and their friends. You have saved the school and many lives. They would have infiltrated the government next."

            "Government?" asked Cassie.

            Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. The Ministry of Magic. They are not our friends as of the moment, but no one deserves such a horrible experience in their life."

            He paused and gave me a look that made me feel as if I were being X-rayed. Slowly, he gave us all the same look. "I am sorry, but you Animorphs must return home. You have your duty to your families there. I trust you miss them?"

            We all nodded fervently.

            "I must tell you, though, before you leave that you are always welcome here. Again, you have rescued us from an eternity of slavery. This is something that no wizard—or muggle—could endure for an extended period of time without going mad. I almost went crazy myself. Well, that is, if I'm not mad all ready."

            We all chuckled.

            He patted Harry on the shoulder. "I'm sure Harry and Hermione would like to see you off."

            Harry and Hermione nodded.

            "We could always lend you some thestrals to take you home, if you wish."         

            Jake smiled and shook his head, "We've acquired thestrals all ready. We can morph them and fly home."

            "Aaah," Dumbledore said knowledgeably, "Farewell, then, my friends, and always remember you are welcome here."

            We all turned to go out the Entrance Hall. Ron eagerly wheeled forward, but Dumbledore put a hand to his shoulder and whispered something in his ear. "_Ooooh_," he said, and followed Dumbledore out of the room.

            We walked out onto the front lawn and stopped by the lake. The giant squid (it had shocked me completely the first time I had seen it) was lazily drifting across the surface. Harry stared out over it for a little while, before turning to us.

            "Well, I guess this is it."

            "Yeah." Jake said, looking down.

            Harry extended a hand to him, which Jake took and firmly shook.

            "We will never forget this, Jake. If you ever—_ever_—need help of any kind that a wizard could do, don't hesitate to call."

            There was an uneasy silence. How would we contact him?

            Harry pulled something out of his pocket. We all looked down to see. Across his palm were two necklaces, with fine golden chains. Strung onto the chains were gold and silver lightning bolt charms, one to a necklace. They glowed in the fading sun.

            "To get through to us, squeeze this in your hand and concentrate on us," Hermione explained, undoing the latch and opening it for him. She stood on tiptoe and fastened it around his neck.

            She did the same for Harry, except she kissed him on the cheek as she drew away.

            He closed his hand around it and, startled, drew his hand back when he touched it. "It's warm," he said.

            Hermione nodded. "If it ever goes cold, then Harry will be unavailable. That either means he's dead, he's in Potions class, or he's dueling with Voldemort. Oh, and it works two ways."

            He shifted from foot to foot. "Won't it fall off when I'm morphing."

            Hermione grinned. "Nope. I rigged the spell so that it would stay with you when you morphed. Keep it on no matter what."

"They need a name, too," I said suddenly.

"Huh?" Jake asked.

"We're the Animorphs. They need a name."

"Oh?"

"They should be… uuum… the Aniwizards!"

"Aniwizards?" Jake asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Wait…" Harry said, a slow grin spreading across his face. "I like it.

Hermione nodded fervently and clutched Harry's arm in her hand.

I grinned. "And the legacy lives on."

We stood in silence for a few moments.  
            "Well, I guess this is goodbye, then," Jake said.

            Hermione smiled, eyes filling with tears. "Not goodbye. Never goodbye. Just a parting."

            Cassie smiled and hummed something. "Mmm, mmm, I want to linger…"

            "Mmm, mmm, a little longer," Hermione continued.

            "Mmm, mmm, a little longer here with you."

            "Mmm, mmm, it's such a perfect night,"

            "Mmm, mmm, it doesn't seem quite right,"

            "That this should be my last with you."

            "Mmm, mmm, and as the years go by,"

            "Mmm, mmm, I'll think of you and sigh,"

            "This is goodnight and not goodbye."

            They sang the last line together.

            I felt tears in my eyes. Annoyed and embarrassed, I quickly wiped them away with the back of my hand.

            "Okay," Jake said in a weirdly croaky voice, "Morph thestral."

            I closed my eyes and pictured the ugly, winged horse in my mind. Immediately, all fat I had on my body disappeared so that I was all skin and bones.

            Literally!

            I couldn't help but cry out in alarm, a cry that became a weird sort of shrieking sound. My head twisted and reformed, becoming almost dragonish. I felt my eyes change, so that they didn't have a pupil anymore. My spine contorted (and visibly, too) so that I fell onto hands that were quickly becoming hooves. I snorted as big, black, leathery wings sprouted on my back.

            When the instincts kicked in, I knew _everything_ about the world. I could pinpoint any major city or small village in my _head_. I had a distinct loyalty to humans though I was quite wild at heart.

            Wow! Cool!

            Rachel's cry of glee shook me out the instincts.

            Cassie trotted over to Harry and Hermione and nuzzled each of them with her head. We'll see you later, she said, shaking her head and snorting softly.

            "Hopefully, under better circumstances," Harry said with a grin.

            I turned my pupil-less eyes to Jake. The golden chain of the necklace had expanded and had stayed on his neck, though not too tightly. He tried to shake it off, but it wouldn't budge.

            Hermione ogled at us. It then occurred to me she had never seen a thestral before. I grinned a big, horsy grin at her. She snapped out of her daze and took the morphing cube and held it before me. I took it carefully in my mouth. She did the same to Ax with his refillable goblet of Wolfsbane Potion (it's un-spill-able too… is that even a word?) and gave us all our wands. 

            Let's go! Jake said, rearing and leaping into the air with a large flap of his wings.

            And we were off.

            I had never gone so fast before!

            It was amazing! The world was a blur as we raced. Yah-hoo! I yelled, tossing my head back and shrieking to the sky.

            By the time we stopped, however, I was thoroughly exhausted. We demorphed by Ax's scoop. It was great to be home, but I was tired beyond belief.

            I dragged my feet all the way home (I was too tired to even morph osprey). When I swung the door open, Dad looked up at me over the paper.

            "What happened to _you_?"

            I looked down. My morphing suit was still covered in slime from the Chamber of Secrets. I guess even the slime at Hogwarts is magical.

            "I fell in a puddle," I muttered.

            "A _puddle_? It hasn't rained for a week and a half."

            "Then I fell in a swamp," I said through gritted teeth.

            "And, besides, weren't you just upstairs?"

            "Yeah," I said sarcastically, "I just fell out the window."

            Dad raised his eyebrows, rustled the paper, and disappeared behind it.

            I stomped up the stairs, muttering to myself about nosy parents. I dragged my feet down the corridor and stopped in front of my bedroom door. I stood there, dreaming about my nice room and my warm, fuzzy bed. I had been sleeping on the floor for such a long time that I had almost forgotten what a bed looked like!

            I swung the door to my room open.

            And I screamed in terror.

            My stomach dropped out of existence. My eyes nearly popped out of my head. My heart jumped into my throat and beat rapidly against my neck. I paled several shades and started to shake.

            My room was _clean_!

The End 

**A/N: Finished! Complete! ::does a happy dance:: This is the first novel—original or fan fiction—I have _ever_ finished! And I've got the most reviews for it, too!**

**Now, do you really think I could go without writing a sequel with an ending like that? No way, Jose! I'm writing another story, and I've decided on a name for the series. Yup, you guessed it: The Aniwizards!**

**I'm going to take a little break before starting it. I know the story is going to take place at the Animorphs' home (I'm not going to say the location of their homes… I won't give it away for the sake of all those who haven't finished the series!).**

**The next story _will_ have book 5 spoilers and _will take place after it. If you haven't finished OotP, I suggest you do because I'll give some major things away. For instance, who dies and who was there to witness the death._**

**Allllll righty, then! Stick around for my next Aniwizard Adventure, "The Aniwizard Adventures 2: Wizards and Controllers"! Or "Controllers and Wizards". Depends on what section you look for it under.**

**Bon voyage! **


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